User:IllaZilla/San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research

The San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research is a not-for-profit research and conservation organization headquartered in Escondido, California and operated by San Diego Zoo Global. Founded in 1975 as the Center for Research on Endangered Species (CRES) under the leadership of Dr. Kurt Benirschke, the organization was later renamed the Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species, by which it became most well-known until its current name was adopted in 2009. The Institute conducts ex situ conservation work at the San Diego Zoo, at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and at its headquarters on the Safari Park property. Its in situ conservation work extends to over 100 field projects in 35 countries.

The Institute has introduced 33 species back into the wild, including mountain yellow-legged frogs, five reptile species, seventeen bird species, and ten mammal species. It is known for its efforts to conserve California condors, giant pandas, and the San Clemente loggerhead shrike, and for its frozen zoo, an extensive collection of genetic material from endangered species stored in liquid nitrogen for use in genetic research and future species propagation.

Awards
The Institute for Conservation Research has received several awards for its conservation work. This list includes only awards given to the Institute specifically, not to its parent organization or to the parks at which its ex situ work is conducted; for those, see San Diego Zoo Global, San Diego Zoo, and San Diego Zoo Safari Park.