My wife and I became parents back in 2020.  It’s our first and only child.  Our families would ask us what we wanted or needed for her.  Aside from the typical things like diapers, formula and some clothing we really couldn’t think of anything.  Then my wife had the idea of a membership to the Maryland zoo in Baltimore.  We figured our kiddo would love walking around to look at the animals, even though she was still too young to really understand it.  Also, a membership allowed us to come and go as many times as we pleased.  So, if we went and she wasn’t feeling it, we could leave and not feel like we were wasting our money.

Fast forward a few years and we still have a membership there.  The zoo has become a special place for my family.  It’s the place we go whenever we need to get out of the house and enjoy a nice day outside.  We go year round and our daughter loves it.

The Maryland zoo in Baltimore is the nation’s third oldest zoo.  It has been such a pillar for the Baltimore community for the last 150 years or so.  And the zoo has become big on the world wide conservation scene.  The Maryland Zoo is dedicated to conserving wildlife for future generations, and keepers often visit other spots around the globe to work on local communities.

Take the African Penguins for example.  They are in crisis and could very well become extinct thanks to things like climate change and over fishing.  The Maryland Zoo has been heavily involved in working to keep them alive.  The zoo cares for the largest colony of African penguins in North America, and it has a strong partnership with groups in Southern Africa trying to help these beautiful animals continue their legacy.

The Maryalnd Zoo has some big changes coming up in the next couple of years that sound really exciting.  I’m excited to share this conversation with Kirby Fowler…the president and CEO of the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.