In partnership with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Missouri Department of Conservation, it was an honor to host Shannon Estenoz, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, at the Zoo earlier this week to highlight the conservation efforts of the hellbender and the American burying beetle. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, we also celebrated the success and recovery of these at-risk species. Learn more at U.S. Department of the Interior's website.
![American burying beetle](https://maniacal-finch.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/site/blog/Image-35.jpeg?w=3024&h=4032&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=crop&dm=1689195880&s=a243fd73fabb9317b189cdaef31ec1ee)
![Hellbender](https://maniacal-finch.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/site/blog/asst.-sec.-hellbender.jpeg?w=1979&h=2516&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=crop&dm=1689195890&s=c318f5f43a9124d402e3c19721ab3361)
![group photo](https://maniacal-finch.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/site/blog/IMG_0729.jpg?w=3202&h=3024&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=crop&dm=1689196102&s=450acf548557c727d8ad1ab87e29fc00)