Mission Statement

To conserve animals and their habitats through animal management, research, recreation, and educational programs that encourage the support and enrich the experience of the public.

Three Keys guides us to meet our mission:

Animals Always

The care and protection of our animals, the conservation of their species and the preservation of the wild places where they exist are the driving forces of all organizational activities.

People Matter

We care for and about people: our staff, our volunteers, our guests and our partners.

Operational Excellence

Our success as a mission-driven organization depends on our ability to achieve and sustain business excellence.

These driving keys are supported by our core values of Community, Creativity, Openness, Integrity, and Work-Life Balance. Zoos are critical to the survival of wildlife, hubs of research and scientific discovery, and bridges that connect people to Earth’s natural wonders.

Impact

The Dana Brown Charitable Trust and the Saint Louis Zoo have enjoyed a long partnership in making a better future for animals and guests. Through extraordinary foresight and vision, the Trust has enabled the Zoo to make significant strides toward fulfilling its mission: To conserve animals and their habitats through animal management, research, recreation, and educational programs that encourage the support and enrich the experience of the public.

The Trust’s generosity is recognized for its following philanthropic contributions:

• 1997 – Dana Brown Lords of the Forest elephant habitat in River’s Edge
• 2002 – Dana Brown Orangutan Reserve at Fragile Forest
• 2005 – Student Intern Research & Study Center at the Orthwein Animal Nutrition Center
• 2008 – Dana Brown President & CEO endowed and named position
• 2017 – Dana Brown Conservation Canopy at the Michael and Quirsis Riney Primate Canopy Trails
• 2022 – Dana Brown Conservation Pasture at Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park

The Dana Brown Charitable Trust made a unique and pioneering philanthropic display in 2008 by endowing the Zoo President & CEO position — one of the first endowed positions at any U.S. zoo. Besides linking the legacy of their admired founder with the top position at the Saint Louis Zoo, the Trust enabled the Zoo to secure its future financial commitments through this gift. The important position of Dana Brown, President & CEO of the Saint Louis Zoo, now carries an equally prestigious title.

In 2017, the Trust generously supported the construction of Primate Canopy Trails. This 35,000-square-foot expansion to the historic 1925 Primate House improved animal care, health and well-being for the Zoo’s lemurs, Old World monkeys and New World monkeys by providing access to enriching outdoor habitats, sunlight and fresh air. The first-of-its-kind primate habitat and guest experience, which features the Dana Brown Conservation Canopy, allows guests to explore the forest canopy next to the animals while learning about the conservation challenges primates are facing in the wild – and how to help.

The Saint Louis Zoo is grateful for the leadership of the Dana Brown Charitable Trust for serving as an early champion for Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park. Scheduled to open in 2027, WildCare Park will dramatically increase the Zoo’s capacity to save species from extinction, connect people to the natural world and share the importance of conservation. Thanks to funding by the Trust in 2022, the 10-acre Dana Brown Conservation Pasture became the first completed pasture at WildCare Park, providing a private and natural space for critically endangered ungulates to thrive. As the herds at the Dana Brown Conservation Pasture breed and grow, they will help strengthen declining populations in the wild.

The Dana Brown Charitable Trust and the Saint Louis Zoo are forever linked through their shared community and values. The Zoo is grateful for the generosity and leadership afforded by the Trust.