• by Tanya Gazdik , April 22, 2021

Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo aims to draw attention to Earth’s most endangered species at the zoo with limited-edition zoo “passes.”

Themed “The Price of Extinction!” the campaign from Energy BBDO, is timed to coincide with Earth Day.

Each pass highlights an endangered animal whose pass price correlates to the animal’s extinction rate, with all proceeds going toward conservation efforts.

Of the many animals listed as endangered, the Lincoln Park Zoo cares for more than 30 different endangered species that top the list.

While visitors love to see the animals, they often do so without considering that they may be some of the last people privileged to do so, according to the zoo.

All five passes are available at the zoo’s Gift Shop and Member Center, as well as online at shop.lpzoo.org. Pricing ranges from the polar bear: $9.50 (vulnerable) to the Jamaican iguana: $42 (critically endangered). Other passes are the African penguin: $15 (endangered). Eastern black rhino: $30 (critically endangered) and Western lowland gorilla: $33 (critically endangered).

The campaign includes signage across zoo grounds and at the gift shop, member center and visitor center. It will also be featured on the zoo’s social media platforms and website, and in the future in free virtual phone backgrounds and as limited-edition art prints that can be purchased.

This is Energy BBDO’s first pro-bono campaign for the Lincoln Park Zoo. The agency approached the zoo with the idea, seeing it as a way to give back to the city and raise awareness for Earth’s most vulnerable inhabitants.  The pass illustrator, Chiara Vercesi, loved both the idea and the zoo so much that she also discounted her time and designs, according to the agency.

“We are always looking for new ways to illustrate the threats facing endangered species while still offering hope for their survival,”  said Beth Krauss, vice president of marketing and communications for Lincoln Park Zoo.