Nico de Bruyn, Ph.D., Vice President of Conservation and Education & Director of the Global Center for Species Survival

It is easy to speak about global conservation in abstract terms. It is much harder, and far more valuable, to experience its realities firsthand. 

A recent trip to South Africa reinforced just how much context shapes conservation outcomes. The Savanna Science Network Meeting in Kruger National Park has been a constant in my career. This was my 15th time participating, but this was the first time attending in my current role. That shift mattered. While I once focused on advancing ecological understanding, I now look more critically at how knowledge translates into action. Discussions on fire, elephants and the impacts of recent flooding were not just scientifically interesting; they highlighted the increasing need for management systems that can respond quickly to change while maintaining long-term direction. 

Fieldwork with Harvard colleagues on rhino middens provided a complementary perspective. The work focuses on the visible loss of rhinos as well as the gradual erosion of their ecological role. These less visible changes accumulate, reshaping ecosystems in ways that are difficult to reverse—and even harder to quantify—yet are essential for guiding future conservation priorities. 

Moving beyond Kruger through the Kingdom of Eswatini and then South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province brought the importance of context into sharper relief. Smaller reserves, like Mkhuze, hold significant biodiversity value but operate under far tighter constraints. Compared to Kruger’s scale and resourcing, the pressures from surrounding communities, poaching and governance challenges on small reserves are more immediate and often more limiting. The contrast is instructive: ecological value alone does not ensure success. Conservation outcomes depend equally on the management, resources and social systems surrounding a protected area. 

Time at uShaka Marine World reinforced this from an institutional perspective. Operating within a complex and sometimes unstable environment, it demonstrates how strong leadership and clarity of purpose can deliver meaningful conservation and education outcomes. There is clear potential for deeper collaboration and shared learning with the Indianapolis Zoo. 

Trips like this do not just inform, they recalibrate. They ensure our work at the Global Center for Species Survival remains grounded in reality, responds to variation and is focused on where it can make the greatest difference. 

When the public thinks about conservation, they tend to think of large or “cuddly” animals that are easily recognizable. While conservation work on these species is vital, there are lesser-known species doing the less-glamourous work that play an equally important role in the ecosystem. 

One such species is the American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus). The largest carrion beetle in North America, measuring approximately 1.5 inches in length, this beetle plays an important role in its ecosystem that many tend to overlook.  

“The American burying beetle is a high-end recycler, utilizing carrion (dead or decaying animals) for reproduction and turning it back into soil nutrients,” explained Lou Perrotti, AZA SAFE American Burying Beetle co-coordinator and director of Conservation Programs at the Roger Williams Park Zoo. “By eliminating carrion from the landscape, this also limits fly takeover and fly populations that could potentially spread diseases.” 

The American burying beetle species was once thriving and could be found in 35 states across the country. Unfortunately, it lost 90% of its range due to threats like habitat loss, competition for reproductive resources and climate change.  It was listed as Endangered in 1989 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).  Today, American burying beetle populations are limited to Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and parts of Texas, South Dakota and Block Island in Rhode Island.   

Conservationists began monitoring existing populations of American burying beetles to reintroduce them to places they once thrived, like Penikese Island and Nantucket off the coast of Massachusetts. Several zoos, including the Saint Louis Zoo, Roger Williams Park Zoo, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens and The Wilds outside Columbus, Ohio, stepped in to help the struggling species by housing and reproducing them in captivity.

Monni Böhm, freshwater conservation coordinator at the Global Center for Species Survival at the Indianapolis Zoo, is one of many conservationists working to save this species. As coordinator for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) Terrestrial and Freshwater Invertebrate Red List Authority (TIRLA), she assists in overseeing Red List assessments for any terrestrial and freshwater invertebrates that do not yet have a designated IUCN SSC Specialist Group.  Specifically, Böhm, TIRLA colleagues and other researchers across North America are updating the IUCN Red List assessment for the American burying beetle and producing its first ever IUCN Green Status assessment.  

These processes are vital in creating a foundation for effective conservation decisions by focusing on the extinction risk of the species (IUCN Red List) and measuring its recovery and the impact that conservation has on the species (IUCN Green Status). Both assessments should be published later this year via the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. With a similar focus on other carrion beetles around the world, a new IUCN SSC Specialist Group is in consideration for these important species.  

Due to the hard work of conservationists, populations of the American burying beetle have become relatively stable across its remaining range, and the USFWS revised the original listing to Threatened. However, the species is far from out of the woods, and there are indications that climate change impacts could cause future and potentially dramatic declines. Conservationists continue to lay out plans for continued recovery, which include conducting additional reintroductions, maintaining captive populations, supporting research initiatives, focusing on the effects of climate change and more.  

Böhm is hopeful for the future and encourages everyone to get involved in the conservation of the American burying beetle. “There are certain organizations that you can support that are doing great work every day for the conservation of this species, including several Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited institutions. When you support AZA institutions, like the Indianapolis Zoo, you are directly supporting the invaluable work that goes into saving species like the American burying beetle. It’s also important to keep habitats healthy for all species, not just the cute ones,” she said.  

Photo and videos provided by Roger Williams Park Zoo.

Cape Nature 

Cape Nature is a non-profit that manages Stony Point, a breeding site for penguins, by completing rescue, rehab and reintroduction operations.

Cape Nature uses funds to support the infrastructure of the site, like reducing erosion and building and maintaining predator-proof fences. Caracals, small African wildcats, domestic dogs and domestic cats have been known to attack penguins at these nest sites.

“One of the current primary threats that African penguins face is predation. Because their population size is so low, the impact of predation is that much greater,” Waller said. “The predation losses at Stony Point are significant and given that the African penguin is Critically Endangered with a population still declining, these losses cannot be afforded. The money from this project has funded the initial phase of a predator proof fence at this colony.”

Cape Nature also works to identify the penguins and monitor the daily status of each individual. Cape Nature attached electronic tags to the penguins that connect to a scale placed near the shoreline. When the penguins come and go from the shoreline, they step on the scale, and the tag records how much the penguin weighs. This allows the team to monitor if the penguin found food that day, how much food the penguin ate, how much time was spent at sea to get that food, etc. That data helps determine if additional efforts are needed to protect penguin feed areas.

“My hope is that through this project and partnership, that the number of penguins lost to predation at Stony Point will be substantially reduced, contributing to the overall stability and eventual population recovery of the African penguin population at this site,” said Waller.

SANCCOB

SANCCOB partners closely with Cape Nature, providing education opportunities to the local community and employing rangers for the nesting site. Rangers at Cape Nature act like park rangers in the United States. A big part of their job is working onsite and educating the public about how they can protect penguins.

Rangers also monitor the colony. If a penguin is found deceased, the team collects the animal and determines what caused its death. They also intervene if the situation permits. Birkhoff visited Cape Nature and visited the SANCCOB ranger station when they found several penguin nests abandoned but still with viable eggs. The rangers took the eggs and placed them in an incubator.

“They currently have 200 chicks that they have hatched from eggs that have been abandoned,” Birkhoff explained. “That’s 200 animals that now have a lease on life that wouldn’t have without this intervention.”

The multi-year commitment from the Global Center for Species Survival at the Indianapolis Zoo funds ongoing projects to reverse the Red List status and create a sustainable future for penguins.

“With current population trends, the African penguin is predicted to be Extinct in the Wild in less than 10 years. Their population decline is because of human actions, and now it is only human actions that can prevent this extinction,” Waller said. “They need all the support they can get to prevent this from happening. History has shown that this species has been able to bounce back, and quickly, once conditions are favorable.”

Two leaders with a rich history in philanthropy and conservation were named co-chairs of the prestigious Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation.  

Now entering its third decade of impact, the Prize was established by the Indianapolis Zoo to support global leaders in animal conservation and provide a springboard for the next generation of advocates through the Emerging Conservationist Award.  

Jeffrey A. Harrison, president & CEO of Citizens Energy Group, and Suzanne (Suzie) Fehsenfeld, founding member of the Indianapolis Zoo and former board member of the Nature Conservancy, will lead the Prize at an exciting time. They will expand the horizon of the Prize to reach an even wider audience and share with the world the importance of conservation.  

The list of previous Winners and DeHaan Finalists from the past 20 years represent the very best of animal conservation and serve as strong ambassadors for species protection from all parts of the globe. Future Prize Winners and DeHaan Finalists will become part of a growing roster of worldwide advocates for conservation.  

“The Indianapolis Prize and the Indianapolis Zoo are honored to have Jeffrey Harrison and Suzie Fehsenfeld lead us in this significant role. Both are wonderful stewards for the city of Indianapolis, the Zoo and its core mission to protect nature and inspire people to care for our world,” said Jake Oakman, senior vice president for Zoo External Relations.  

As president & CEO for Citizens, Harrison leads the strategic direction of the organization. He has spent more than 30 years in the utility industry. Harrison also serves on several Indianapolis boards and committees, including the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Indianapolis Public Safety Foundation, the United Way of Central Indiana and the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis.  

Fehsenfeld is an educator, philanthropist and conservationist with a long history of supporting the Indianapolis Zoo. In addition to being a founding member of the Zoo, she serves on the executive committee for the Orchard School Board of Directors and its Endowment. She is a distinguished advisor for the Indianapolis Children’s Museum. She is a cofounder of the Mara Elephant Project, a nonprofit conservation organization in Kenya. 

Both began their terms immediately to prepare for the next Winner of the Indianapolis Prize, to be announced in 2027. They take the helm of the Prize after 20 years of leadership and support from Myrta Pulliam. Anne Nobles also served as co-chair for the past four years alongside Harrison, providing continuity as the Prize builds toward the future of animal conservation advocacy.  

In 2025, the Indianapolis Prize honored Dr. Lily-Arison René de Roland, renowned scientist and biodiversity conservationist from Madagascar who discovered several new species and established five national protected areas in his homeland. Mwezi “Badru” Mugerwa was named the 2025 Emerging Conservationist for his innovative work to protect the African golden cat in his homeland of Uganda and beyond. Mugerwa is the founder and director of Embaka, a grassroots, community-based conservation organization dedicated to protecting this elusive cat.  

The Indianapolis Zoo awards the Indianapolis Prize every other year and celebrates the honorees at a signature event in Indianapolis. The Prize Winner receives a $300,000 award, and the DeHaan Finalists and Emerging Conservationist each receive $50,000. To date, the Indianapolis Zoo has awarded more than $8 million to conservationists.

The Prize builds on the belief that zoos hold a unique responsibility to help people connect to nature and understand what is at stake for wildlife.