Nestled into the countryside on almost 10,000 acres of lush landscapes along the Appalachian Byway in Ohio, you'll find The Wilds...a conservation center making an incredible impact for wildlife in America's Heartland and across the globe.
The Wilds serves as a living laboratory in a unique setting that provides important information needed to help protect wildlife and wild places. From restoring healthy ecosystems from once barren strip-mined land to providing high-quality care to some of the world's rarest wildlife species, our teams are contributing to advancements in conservation and science, all while inspiring others to join us in efforts to make a difference.
Because of your support of The Wilds, through donation of time or money, by attending events, and even scheduling a tour...you have helped us make an incredible impact.
Here's a snapshot of the accomplishments of The Wilds in 2022!
Read the entire 2022 Impact Report
Local Economic Impact
In 2022, The Wilds employed 249 employees with 36 of them being full-time.
Attendance and Membership
With a record-breaking year, The Wilds had an all-time high in attendance and membership entry!
- 96,839 people visited The Wilds
- 5,644 guests became members of The Wilds
Special Recognition and Accreditation
Since 1996, The Wilds has been continuously accredited from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), and 2022 was no different: The AZA has fully accredited The Wilds once again.
Accreditation demonstrates an ongoing commitment to be a facility that combines cutting-edge conservation science and education programs with unique guest opportunities.
To be accredited, The Wilds underwent a thorough review to assure our facility has and will continue to meet rising standards, which include animal care and welfare, veterinary programs, conservation, education, and safety. The AZA requires facilities to complete this rigorous accreditation process every five years.
Welcoming the Newest Additions
The Wilds had a total of 225 births and hatchings in 2022!
- 150 insects
- 18 birds
- 57 mammals
Ecology at The Wilds
Connecting The Wilds to its local and wildlife conversation efforts, they have had extraordinary improvements. The Wilds is North America’s largest conservation facility and takes pride in protecting, maintaining, and restoring the land and the animals that use it.
At The Wilds, ecology plays a huge role in understanding how our environment is affected and helps guide us to its conservation needs. Wildlife conservation aims to ensure sustainability and biodiversity in its ecosystems. The Wilds were able to learn and enhance the conservation and sustainability efforts in many different ways, like, removing 76 acres of invasive species, planting 1,920 native shrub species, seeding 20 acres of prairies, and releasing 517 federally threatened American burying beetles!
Rhinos at The Wilds Contribute to Science
In 2022, Animal Management staff at The Wilds completed the first full year working in collaboration with the American Institute of Rhinoceros Science (AIRS).
With its operations base located at The Wilds, this work strives to save rhinos through science by researching their physical condition, dietary needs, reproduction, and behavioral and environmental factors – all in an effort to maximize the wellbeing of the rhinos in human care. In just over a year, this project has grown from six participating zoological facilities to now over 50!
Community Engagement by Education
At The Wilds, we value our community engagement and education.
In 2022, The Wilds had a total of 44 educational programs, 799 program participants, and 47 WildeCampers were funded by the Learning is Wild Scholarship program, supported by Battelle and the J.W. and M.H. Straker Charitable Foundation.
Expanding for a New Campground!
Calling all adventure seekers!
In 2022, we broke ground at The Wilds on a nearly 60-acre RV campground, which will welcome families seeking to create memories as they experience the great outdoors.
Featuring spots for RVs and primitive camping, as well as new hiking and biking trails, the RV campground is expected to increase visitation at The Wilds by an estimated 18,000 people per year and help support the tourism economy in Muskingum County.
We are truly grateful for the support we received for this project, which is funded by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Muskingum County, the Economic Development Administration, The Ohio State Capital Budget Grant, and The Wilds Fund.
THANK YOU.
YOU have helped create this impact on wildlife and ecological conservation with your never-ending support.
As we look to the future, we focus on a new strategy to guide our growth and development over the next several years. An intentional re-focusing of our wildlife conservation, science, and animal wellbeing work will drive the first pillar of our new strategic plan. Moving The Wilds from a regional attraction to year-round destination, and a long-term commitment to sustainability, wildlife, people, and the environment, rounds out our strategy.
