Newsroom
Interested in producing a story about ZDR3?
communications@zdr3.org
Media Contact:
(919) 625 -6632
Please note: for safety, we do not invite media to accompany ZDR3 Network responders during a response. We are happy to provide you with images, context, and contacts for your story.
Press Releases
2025
ZDR3 is Prepared to Assist with Flooding in Central Texas
ZDR3 News Release
7/7/2025
ZDR3 has been in communication with ZDR3 Network facilities in the impacted region. As of 7/7/2025, 6:30AM EST, no ZDR3 Network members have reported outstanding needs. Multiple ZDR3 teams are located in the immediate region and are on standby if needed for deployment. This includes facility teams, ZDR3 Board Members, and one ZDR3 staff member. Several teams have watercraft capabilities of varying capacity.
2024
Prepare for Zoological Disasters: ZDR3 Regional Response Readiness Workshop Will be Held in April
ZDR3 News Release
2/26/2024
The next ZDR3 Regional Response Readiness workshop, hosted by Texas State Aquarium, is being held April 9-10, 2024. It is for FEMA Region 6 (TX, OK, LA, NM, & AR), though participants from other regions are welcome. A facility does not need to be a member of ZDR3 to participate.
2023
Super Typhoon Mawar Smashed the Zoo but Spared the Animals
ZDR3 News Release
6/10/2023
When Super Typhoon Mawar made landfall as a category 4 storm on May 25, the founders of the island’s only zoo were riding it out in their home with many of their smaller animals, including Mariana fruit bats, birds, and turtles. A representative from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), who was working in a disaster response role, immediately recognized the need for additional support and recommended a resource the Cushings weren’t aware of: Zoological Disaster Response, Rescue, and Recovery (ZDR3).
San Antonio Zoo Disaster Response Team Responds to Call for Assistance from Austin Zoo
ZDR3 News Release
2/19/2023
Earlier this month, icing from Winter Storm Mara uprooted trees and dropped limbs throughout the Austin Zoo. No animals were injured because they were all in their night houses and dens. The storm left the animals’ outdoor habitats littered with debris, and damage to some fencing and roofs. The zoo was closed for six days while their staff cleared visitor paths, creating massive brush piles they struggled to remove. The zoo’s executive director, Patti Clark, realized it was time to call Zoological Disaster Response, Rescue, and Recovery (ZDR3) for assistance
Disaster Response Team from Monterey Zoo Returns Animals to Applegate Park Zoo
ZDR3 News Release
2/12/2023
Applegate Park Zoo’s animals have returned home from the Monterey Zoo. A team from the Monterey Zoo, in Salinas, CA, evacuated more than a dozen animals on January 13, when Applegate Park Zoo was under threat of flooding. The evacuated animals included bears, bobcats, coyote, foxes, monkeys, deer, and raccoons. Monterey Zoo housed and cared for the animals for three weeks, which allowed Applegate Zoo to recover and perform necessary repairs.
ZDR3 Responders Evacuate Animals Under Threat from Floodwater
ZDR3 News Release
1/14/2023
More than a dozen animals evacuated from Applegate Park Zoo in Merced, CA, which was under threat of flooding, arrived at Monterey Zoo at midnight on Friday, January 13. The evacuated animals included bears, bobcats, coyote, foxes, monkeys, deer, and raccoons. Monterey Zoo founder, Charlie Sammut, says the animals are welcome to stay at his zoo as long as necessary. Zoological Disaster Response, Rescue, and Recovery (ZDR3) coordinated the evacuation.