About

The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund is a private, non-profit charitable foundation created in 2003 to allow visitors to SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove a chance to get directly involved in wildlife conservation and research. The Fund supplements contributions of those parks to help a variety of conservation groups around the world.

Animals in need and endangered species across the globe have benefitted from the more than $8 million in grants awarded. Since its launch, the Fund has supported over 800 projects in countries around the world. The Fund’s grantees are diverse, including global organizations such as World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and Conservation International along with smaller, grassroots organizations.

The organization's mission is to work with purpose and passion on behalf of wildlife and habitats worldwide, encouraging sustainable solutions through support of species research, animal rescue and rehabilitation and conservation education.

For those with the desire to help preserve our world’s most precious resources, the Fund provides an easy, direct way to get involved and make a difference. They share their wildlife success stories with guests and offer everyday ways that they can protect animals and habitats. SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove have long committed themselves to the betterment of animals everywhere – and the Fund intends to continue this legacy and create an even greater one.

Example Projects

Eliminating the widespread hunting and illegal trade of wildlife with Education for Vietnam (Wildlife Preservation)

The northern border of the country is often used by smugglers to supply Chinese consumer markets with wildlife such as pangolins, freshwater turtles, snakes, and monitor lizards sourced from other Asian countries. The demand for these illegally obtained animals has caused a sharp decrease in some of the area’s most valued species. ENV knows that its success will depend upon educating the public and raising awareness about the need to protect Vietnam’s wildlife - yet they desire to go beyond the traditional approaches of surveys, training and education. They’re determined to remind those in the area that these activities are indeed a crime. By showcasing their most successful cases they intend to build the public perception that wildlife products are undesirable.

Supporting survival of the Mexican Gray Wolf (Endangered Species Awareness)

Current estimates count these wild wanderers at just 52 free-ranging wolves in the southwestern United States. With such a small population, each individual wolf and wolf pack is critical to the population's long-term survival. To help address the situation the Mexican Wolf Fund has created a successful captive breeding program. Animal Ambassador Julie Scardina visited one of the wild sites in 2009 and spent time with both Arizona Game & Fish staff members and representatives of the Mexican Wolf Fund. The team was able to view an established breeding pair of wolves and their new pups exploring the area around their den.

Awareness education to protect a safe haven for conservation of Chimpanzees and Monkeys in Ghana (Conservation Education)

This Fund grant is enabling Phase II of a project supported previously. Throughout Ghana's Awubeame Plateau, multiple species of monkeys and chimpanzees enjoy protection within sanctuaries. But these bio-diverse reserves are not 100%-protected from local threats including uncontrolled timber harvesting, poaching and unsustainable agriculture. To combat these threats, the Adzicels Happy Home Foundation works to educate and train local community members about how they can survive and thrive while also protecting wildlife and habitats.

Monitoring of endangered Right Whales in coastal waters of NE Florida by a volunteer-based citizens network (Species Research)

Endangered right whales rely on waters of the coast of northern Florida for their calving and winter grounds. While scientists and government agencies have attempted to track, document and protect this population, citizens have played a significant role as well. The Marineland Right Whale Project connects citizens with scientists to keep track of this at-risk species and the critical marine habitat it needs. A Fund grant is helping this project strengthen and expand its volunteer-based citizen’s network to ensure timely tracking data can be collected and used toward the stewardship of this whale and its ocean home.

Evaluation of Human-Elephant conflict in Amboseli, Kenya (Habitat Protection)

Conflict between humans and elephants can result in injury and death to both and is a growing problem across Africa. This interdisciplinary study seeks to provide an understanding of the human dimensions of human-elephant conflict around Amboseli National Park, Kenya, by examining attitudes, factors that influence attitudes, and behavior toward elephants on private lands surrounding the park. In Amboseli, several intervention projects have been put in place to mitigate the increasing level of conflict. The SWBGCF grant aids the study's goals of evaluating the projects and other variables such as values, perceived risk, and previous experience on residents' attitudes and behaviors toward elephants.

Protecting threatened species in South West Cambodia (Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation)

The Cardamom Conservation Program (CCP) began in March 2001 when Conservation International began working with the Cambodian government to establish a team of 45 rangers to patrol critical biodiversity areas in the central Cardamom Mountains. The ranger teams protect the area's key wildlife species, including the Asian Elephant, Tiger, Asiatic Black Bear, and Pileated Gibbon. The goal of the CCP is to secure the 100,000-acre Central Cardamoms forest and key buffer zones as a safe haven for these and other globally threatened species. The SWBGCF grant supports this goal by strengthening data collection on professional wildlife hunters, traders and trade routes, and by establishing a ranger team to confiscate injured wildlife from the hunters and traders and transport them back to WildAid, a rescue and rehabilitation center.

Board Members

Brad F. Andrews - President & Executive Director

Howard Demsky - Secretary & Treasurer

Gilbert Acosta - Assistant Treasurer

Marc G. Swanson - Assistant Treasurer

James D. Atchison

Jack Hanna

Virginia M. Busch

Sheila Voss

David Grabe

Julie Scardina

Hugh Share

Glenn Young

Dr. Judy St. Leger