Pro animals · pro pets · pro farmers · pro ranchers · pro conservation

America Wild

Make zoos and aquariums part of the national campaign tour: family fun, endangered-species recovery, marine-animal rescue, veterinary/science careers, shops and attractions — with measurable conservation instead of slogans.

Federal reality: POTUS cannot take over every local/nonprofit zoo or aquarium. A President can propose Smithsonian funding, direct federal wildlife/conservation priorities, enforce existing law through responsible agencies, expand lawful partnerships, and ask Congress for competitive capital/conservation grants.

Family travel story

Brookfield, Lincoln Park, Georgia Aquarium and Clearwater

Robert Motta campaign memory: “I took Bobby and Carly and sometimes their friends to Brookfield Zoo and Lincoln Park Zoo. I also have photos from a trip with my son to Georgia, traveling on toward Clearwater, Florida. Zoos and aquariums are the kind of places families remember because you learn, walk, eat, shop, laugh and see animals you may never otherwise encounter.”

Photo slot ready

Georgia Aquarium trip with Bobby

Add your own family image later through the private America Wild gallery.

Photo slot ready

Clearwater, Florida trip with Bobby

Add your own family image later through the private America Wild gallery.

Photo slot ready

Brookfield Zoo family memory

Add your own family image later through the private America Wild gallery.

Photo slot ready

Lincoln Park Zoo family memory

Add your own family image later through the private America Wild gallery.

Aquarium spotlight

Georgia → Clearwater: two different conservation models

Georgia Aquarium — Atlanta

Georgia Aquarium says it has more than 11 million gallons of water, 500+ species and thousands of animals. Ocean Voyager alone contains 6.3+ million gallons and houses whale sharks, manta rays and thousands of fish. The Aquarium says it is the only U.S. aquarium currently housing whale sharks.

Georgia Aquarium

Clearwater Marine Aquarium — Florida

CMA emphasizes rescue, rehabilitation and release. Current animals/exhibits include rescued dolphins, sea turtles, otters, sharks, rays and tropical wildlife; its new 2026 Pinniped Pier adds harbor seals and California sea lions.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Shedd Aquarium — Chicago

Shedd welcomes about 2 million visitors annually and combines animal care with freshwater/ocean conservation. In 2026 Shedd joined IUCN and continues global work involving zebra sharks, penguins, belugas and freshwater conservation.

Shedd Aquarium

Clearwater beach connection

Pair the aquarium stop with the broader America Outdoors beach route: sea-turtle nesting education, Gulf wildlife, eco-boat tours, beaches and family recreation.

America Outdoors beaches

Teach the animal groups

Fish, mammals, reptiles and more

🐟 Fish

Whale sharks are the world's largest fish, not whales. Aquariums also feature sharks, rays, sturgeon, groupers, reef fish, eels and freshwater species.

🐬 Marine mammals

Dolphins, beluga whales, seals, sea lions and sea otters breathe air, are warm-blooded and nurse their young. Georgia, Shedd, Mystic and Clearwater all provide opportunities to teach marine-mammal biology.

🐢 Reptiles

Sea turtles are reptiles. Clearwater operates sea-turtle rescue/rehabilitation and nesting-conservation programs; Georgia Aquarium also houses reptiles and amphibians in educational galleries.

🪸 Invertebrates

Corals, jellyfish, anemones, crustaceans and other invertebrates are essential to aquatic ecosystems even though they may get less attention than dolphins or sharks.

🐊 Freshwater / wetlands

American alligators, river fish, amphibians, otters and wetland species help connect aquariums to rivers, water quality, Farm & Ranch America and national-park/public-land education.

Animal-status labels

Every animal card should distinguish IUCN/ESA conservation status, rescue/non-releasable status and normal resident-animal care rather than calling every zoo/aquarium animal “endangered.”

National campaign tour

Zoo & Aquarium Tour Finder

This finder highlights flagship stops; use live official directories for the full current national inventory.

AMERICA WILD

AZA nationwide directory Google Maps aquariums Google Maps zoos

Endangered species + aquatic recovery

Upgrade the visitor experience and the conservation mission together

Zoo-to-wild grants

Ask Congress for matching grants tied to recognized recovery plans, genetic management, breeding/reintroduction, veterinary science and habitat restoration.

Aquarium rescue & release

Support NOAA/FWS partnerships with accredited aquariums and marine hospitals for strandings, sea turtles, marine mammals and threatened fish where federal law authorizes it.

Freshwater species

Connect Jeremy Wade's endangered-fish stories to river restoration, fish passage, clean-water rules and sustainable fishing.

Coral / ocean science

Support coral restoration, marine debris reduction, fisheries science and ocean-health education tied to measurable conservation outcomes.

Veterans + animal careers

Zoo/aquarium jobs include animal care, veterinary support, facilities, plumbing, life-support systems, electricians, divers, mechanics, horticulture, rescue and education.

No blank checks

Federal grants require animal-welfare/accreditation standards, audited finances, engineering plans, conservation metrics and local/private matching support.

Jeremy Wade

Endangered fish as voter education

The official River Monsters channel has a compilation focused on animals Jeremy Wade encountered that face extinction risk. That belongs beside aquarium freshwater galleries, conservation science and safe family fishing.

Jeremy Wade spotlight

Cryptid evidence lane · not a confirmed species

Bigfoot, Sasquatch & China's Yeren

No confirmed species: modern reports, videos and folklore are worth documenting as cultural/citizen-science material, but neither Bigfoot nor Yeren is scientifically established as a living ape/hominin species.

1958 / Bluff Creek

The modern “Bigfoot” name became famous after giant-footprint stories in northern California, although Indigenous and regional wild-human traditions are much older.

1967 Patterson-Gimlin

The famous film remains disputed. It is not a biological specimen and therefore cannot establish a species by itself.

1977 FBI hair test

The FBI examined submitted “Bigfoot” hair and identified that sample as belonging to the deer family. That resolves the submitted sample, not every later sighting.

Recent reports

Private databases such as BFRO continue receiving reports around the country. A report is a lead to investigate, not government confirmation.

China's Yeren

China has its own “wild man” tradition and alleged sightings. Modern documentaries and SCMP have covered it, but accepted physical evidence for a new living hominin/ape species is still absent.

Evidence checklist

Original files/metadata, scaled track casts or 3D captures, contamination-controlled biological samples, independent DNA labs, habitat/ecology fit and transparent negative results.

YouTube wall