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African elephants snacking on twigs and leaves gathered the day before at TNC's Folsom Point Preserve.
Elephants Eating African elephants at the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium snacking on twigs and leaves gathered the day before at TNC's Folsom Point Preserve. © Joshua Foo Photography

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Nourishing Wildlife, Protecting Habitat

A partnership between The Nature Conservancy and Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium benefits both zoo animals and local grasslands

October 01, 2025 | Omaha, Nebraska

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Photos and video available upon request.

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) are partnering to provide high-quality nutrition in the form of fresh browse for zoo animals while protecting one of the rarest ecosystems in the world, the tallgrass prairie.

At TNC’s Folsom Point Preserve, a 299-acre remnant prairie near Council Bluffs, Iowa, the zoo’s browse team helps manage invasive trees and shrubs by cutting and removing them. The harvested branches, called browse, are then transported to the zoo, where elephants, giraffes, macaws and other animals use them for food and enrichment.

Browse has long been a vital part of animal care at the zoo. From elephants engaging in natural behaviors with large branches to giraffes reaching with their 18-inch tongues for mulberry leaves, browse provides animals with opportunities to express natural behaviors while receiving highly nutritious food. The partnership with TNC builds on this success while also advancing local conservation.

“Browse is an essential part of the care we provide,” said Dakota Wagner, Browse Program supervisor at Omaha’s Zoo and Aquarium. “It’s nutritious, encourages natural behaviors and, thanks to this partnership, also supports local habitat conservation.”

Less than 5% of tallgrass prairie remains in North America, making Folsom Point Preserve a critical site for biodiversity. By working together, TNC gains help in maintaining the prairie’s open grasslands, while the zoo receives a renewable, high-quality food source for its animals.

“Grasslands are the most threatened, least protected habitat type on Earth—they’re more endangered than the Amazon rainforest,” said Graham McGaffin, director of TNC in Iowa, where Folsom Point Preserve is located. “Invasive trees and shrubs are a growing threat to our remaining grasslands and all the native plants and wildlife that depend on them.”

The collaboration demonstrates the zoo’s conservation impact both globally and locally, ensuring that ecosystems and animals continue to thrive. To learn more about TNC’s partnership with Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, visit nature.org/bringonthebrowse. To learn more about how you can make a difference by volunteering your time or donating browse material, visit omahazoo.com/browse.

The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more resilient. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in 83 countries and territories (39 by direct conservation impact and 44 through partners) through a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit nature.org or follow @nature_press on X.