Tag archives: SB Zoo

“There are only two ways to live your life: one is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle,” goes the line attributed to Albert Einstein. At the Santa Barbara Zoo, one tiny gibbon baby is making a convincing case for the latter. The pairing of white-handed gibbons […]

By Maria McCall At a recent gathering hosted by Montecito Bank & Trust’s MClub, Charles Hopper, president & CEO of the Santa Barbara Zoo, shared his vision for the SB Zoo’s future. Introduced by the bank’s Chief Strategy Officer Megan Orloff, who described him as a devoted dad, doting grandpa, and visionary leader with boundless […]

Imagine a miniature Jurassic Park-like adventure, an amazing world of discovery, with awesome surprises and new connections – almost as if you’d stepped into another era! Tropical Wonders, the newest exhibit at the Santa Barbara Zoo, definitely transported this California girl into the rainforests of the world! The exhibit is turning heads, opening eyes and […]

On Friday, September 5, the Santa Barbara Zoo held a press conference in their Discovery Pavilion to present their Strategic Plan and a new collaboration with California State University Channel Islands, to increase their initiatives of conservation, education, and community outreach. Attending the conference were the SB Zoo’s President & CEO Charles Hopper, California State […]

The party animals were out in full force when the Santa Barbara Zoo hosted its 39th annual sold-out Zoofari Ball. Themed “Out of this World,” with the 700 guests – invited to wear space cadet casual and starlight chic – helping raise more than $700,000 for the 37-acre menagerie. The cosmic fête, co-chaired by Jeff […]

Jim Jackson is the new Board Chair of Santa Barbara Zoo and Ozlem Arconian, Hillary Courtemanche, Rhonda Ledson Henderson, and Jennifer Perry have joined the board. Serving as a trustee of the Ann Jackson Family Foundation for more than 25 years, Jackson brings a legacy of leadership and community commitment to his new board role. […]

Charles Hopper is the new president and CEO of the beloved Santa Barbara Zoo. Hopper served as COO at the Birch Aquarium at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and as senior business operations manager at the Seattle Aquarium. He also served in the U.S. Air Force and holds an MBA and BA from Seattle Pacific […]

Long serving Santa Barbara Zoo President and CEO Rich Block is retiring in January after 27 years leading the 30-acre menagerie through the most transformative period in its history. Rich is the zoo’s second director succeeding the late Ted McToldridge, who retired in 1997. The zoo’s board of directors has formed a transition committee, and […]

Santa Barbara Zoo has added four new members to its board of directors – Yvette Birch Giller, Angela Sanchez, Bradley Vernon, and Karen Wintringham. Giller is president of the Mosher Foundation, which supports nonprofit organizations in our Eden by the Beach within the areas of education, healthcare and the performing arts. She has also served […]

On honeymoon in March 2022 with his partner Patrick, photographer-musician Andrew Antone’s safari journey turned into a project to bring awareness to the natural world and wildlife he encountered through his camera lens. After pooling through 11,094 images, he selected 500 images for his book, and 32 photos for his exhibit at the Santa Barbara […]

The party animals were out in force when Santa Barbara Zoo held its 36th annual sold-out Zoofari gala with an Enchanted Forest theme, with the 712 guests taking the theme to heart with colorful, creative costumes more befitting Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and the Harry Potter novels as they converged on the […]

Melissa Walker is Santa Barbara Zoo’s new Director of Advancement. With more than 15 years of fundraising experience, Melissa brings extensive expertise in nonprofit leadership to the 30-acre menagerie. “As a zoo member with a young son, my visits have been a favorite weekly activity for my family,” says Melissa. “I’m overjoyed to be part […]

The animals must have been wondering what was going on when the air filled with bubbles at the Santa Barbara Zoo. Not to worry! The Zoo had loaned part of their grounds to benefit Gwendolyn’s Playground. That is something to look forward to in the next year or two. It’s an all-inclusive playground built for […]

If you visit the Zoo and blink your eyes, you may think you’re “down under” in Australia. Our Santa Barbara Zoo has some new critters in the new Australian Walkabout Habitat: Bennett’s wallabies, western gray kangaroos, and emus. The grand opening was in January, 2022 and the exhibit is 15,000 square feet where you can […]

Click. Click. Click. My wife is normally annoyed by my obsession with my Nikon camera, but this time she was shushing me for good reason. I was in Max’s crosshairs. He knew I was taking photos of his absolute adorableness. So, he calmly turned around and seemingly posed. I was soooooo hoppy. (Listen, I live […]

Pardon the dad joke, but it’s not every day that kangaroos move into one’s backyard — but the bouncy beasts have arrived at the Santa Barbara Zoo. Three male Western grey kangaroos — Max, Aspen, and Coolibah — complete the new inhabitants of the 15,000-square-foot Australian Walkabout at the Zoo, slated to open on January […]

Ellie Cullip didn’t hide her emotions as she peeked at the nine Western snowy plovers getting acclimated to their new environment at the Coal Oil Point Reserve near UCSB’s campus. The Santa Barbara Zookeeper was just moments away from seeing this gaggle of plovers released by fellow keepers Stephen Haug and Katie Kranda, both taking […]

Lions and tigers and zebras, oh my! Yes, the Santa Barbara Zoo was back, wilder than ever for the XXXV Zoofari ball. This year’s theme was “Return to Basecamp” and all the safari clothes and animal prints came out of the closet. Rincon Events was back serving up a spread at “camp” along with sunset […]

Less than a year since the Santa Barbara Zoo welcomed a baby lion, the nonprofit has added a new member to the family, Marta, a 517-gram Amur leopard born on August 6 — the first birth for this endangered species in more than 20 years at the zoo. Much like Pauline the lion, Marta will […]

So, who’s throwing the baby shower? The Santa Barbara Zoo announced that Ajax, a female Amur leopard, is pregnant — the first time for the critically endangered species in more than 20 years for the Zoo. As the most endangered of all big cats, the conservation efforts are critical, so this news sent positive shockwaves […]