The Birmingham Zoo’s Annual ZooRun was a Roaring Success

May 17, 2018 BP Staff

Over 500 people came out to the Birmingham Zoo's 2018 ZooRun. Partnering with the Global Conservation Corps (GCC) organization, funds raised through registering for the ZooRun are being used to fund a future ranger's program and a rhino orphanage, both of which are initiatives of the GCC.

Published: May 17, 2018
By: Courtesy of Global Conservation Corps
Author Website: Click to Visit
Mary Michaels, 3rd place finisher; Matt Fondren, 1st place finisher; Matt Lindenberg, GCC President and founder; and Jacob Jones, 2nd place finisher in front of the Birmingham Zoo’s rhinos.

Around 500 people came out Saturday morning for the Birmingham Zoo’s annual ZooRun. Every three years the AAZK  (American Association of Zoo Keepers) chapter of the Birmingham Zoo partners with a different organization to raise funds through registration to the event. This year’s new partner organization is Global Conservation Corps (GCC).

 
GCC is an organization with two major initiatives for conserving wildlife: a future rangers program and a rhino orphanage.
 
“Today’s run is for the future rangers of South Africa,” GCC President and founder Matt Lindenberg explained. “This gets children from impoverished communities in South Africa a first time in front of wildlife. For three days and two nights, they get to explore careers in conservation, see animals, go on game drives, and figure out ways they can protect their natural environment and get behind their national heritage.”
 
“GCC is incredibly excited and honored to be partnering with the AAZK (American Association of Zoo Keepers) chapter of the Birmingham Zoo,” Lindenberg said.
 
 
About Global Conservation Corps:
 

GCC has committed itself to creating change in two main areas – people (Future Rangers Program) and wildlife (Zululand Rhino Orphanage).

The Global Conservation Corps (GCC) is a US – based non-profit 501(c)3 organization. GCC was founded on the belief that conservation belongs to all of us. People have been solely responsible for causing massive destruction of our global fauna and flora. However, at GCC, we believe that people are also the solution when it comes to turning the tide on wildlife decline and degradation.

GCC’s flagship project was the creation and production of RHINO MAN the Movie. RHINO MAN serves to bring international recognition and global awareness to the rhino poaching crisis in South Africa but more importantly highlights the brave individuals who risk their lives every day to keep Africa’s iconic species safe. There is enough doom and gloom out there concerning the global decline of our planet’s precious species, so we have specifically focused on the hopeful stories of a select few individuals, who provide light and hope in a very dire situation.

In 2015, GCC was blessed to have Friendly Human (an Atlanta – based video production company) get behind RHINO MAN the Movie and sponsor almost the entire project.