America 250 at the Zoo!

The Philadelphia Zoo is celebrating America’s 250th birthday with a community-wide effort to make the city cleaner and greener — for both people and animals.

The initiative, called “Action for Animals,” aims to complete 250,000 good deeds for animals by the end of the year. The campaign encourages residents to take small but meaningful steps that can have a positive impact on wildlife and the environment.

Participants can get involved in simple ways, such as picking up litter, switching to reusable shopping bags, conserving water, or supporting wildlife-friendly practices in their neighborhoods.

Each action contributes to the overall goal, helping the zoo mark the nation’s milestone anniversary with a focus on conservation and community engagement.

Here are ways to get involved in your neck of the woods:

• Habitat Creation and Restoration: cleanups, plantings, or anything else that creates new habitats or makes existing habitats better
• Contributing to Conservation Knowledge: wildlife surveys like bird counts or frog counts, bioblitzes, behavioral studies on wildlife
• Direct Action for Animals: helping a turtle across the road, making and putting out a bird feeder, creating enrichment for our animals, participating in ‘lights out’ migration events
• Sustainable Changes: Reducing your water usage by swapping out hardware, eliminating single-use plastic items
• Introducing Others to Nature: Taking someone to a nature preserve for the first time
• Being a Good Neighbor: Doing anything else that improves the lives of the humans and animals that live closest to you

In a statement, Dr. Jo-Elle Mogerman, President and CEO of the Philadelphia Zoo, said the zoo is “a place where animals thrive and transformative memories are made.”

She added that the organization is looking forward to seeing how the actions taken throughout 2026 will help create a better future — one where wildlife and people thrive together.

The “Action for Animals” campaign encourages community members to take small but meaningful steps to support conservation efforts as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.