As the city prepares to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, the Philadelphia Zoo is asking residents to complete 250,000 “Actions for Animals” to support wildlife and promote conservation across the region.
According to a release, the campaign is intended to support wildlife conservation efforts in Philadelphia and surrounding communities.
The campaign encourages activities such as neighborhood cleanups, planting native species and participating in wildlife surveys.
“As an American first, Philadelphia Zoo is proud to be a strong leader and dedicated advocate for protecting animals, people and habitats,” said President and CEO Dr. Jo-Elle Mogerman. “While Philly will host a multitude of events and celebrations in 2026, we also want this year to be remembered as how we all came together to make differences for wildlife, helping to ensure our own future.
"Philadelphia Zoo is a place where animals thrive, and transformative memories are made. We can’t wait to see how the actions we can all take in 2026 make a better future where wildlife and people thrive together.”
Those looking to participate can take any actions that benefit people, animals, and habitats and submit them to the Zoo to help reach 250,000 actions. Participants can pick up litter, plant native plants, or take part in wildlife surveys. The Zoo is looking for actions that fit a number of contributing categories. Those that involve habitat creation and restoration, advancing conservation knowledge, making sustainable changes such as reducing water use, and being a good neighbor to fellow humans and animals are all considered qualified actions. A full list of applicable actions can be found online.
Actions can be submitted via the Zoo’s website, along with the participant’s name, email address, the location where the Action for Animals was completed, a brief, detailed description of the action, and a photo.
Throughout the year, the Zoo will also host a number of on-site activities to help reach the goal of 250,000 actions, including creating enrichment toys for the Zoo’s animals, making a take-home bird feeder, participating in an on-campus bio blitz and contributing to conservation knowledge. All actions performed at the Zoo will be counted on-site by the Zoo at its discretion.
For more information and upcoming opportunities to participate, visit philadelphiazoo.org.
