The Living Desert Zoo Featured In New Netflix Science Series

PALM DESERT, CA — A Riverside County gem has made its way to Netflix. Palm Desert's The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens is featured in the first of six episodes of the new docu-series, “Connected: The Hidden Science of Everything,” which is streaming now on Netflix.

Throughout the series, host Latif Nasser travels the world and takes viewers on an educational journey to show how everyone is tied together through science and nature. In the first episode, entitled "surveillance,” he finds a connection to everything — including the popular Tinder app and matchmaking for animals to save endangered species.

That’s where The Living Desert comes in.

The Living Desert is part of a global conservation community that curates vital species information using the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS). ZIMS is maintained by the nonprofit organization Species360, and serves more than 1,200 wildlife institutions in over 100 countries. Its data is used to improve animal welfare and support species conservation, according to The Living Desert.

During the show, Nasser playfully refers to ZIMS as “Tinder for Critters,” and calls it, “The highest stakes dating app of all. Because some of these are endangered species and if a species dies out, there are going to be all kinds of consequences.”

Nasser is the director of research for the New York Public Radio show and holds a Ph.D. in the history of science from Harvard University.

Filmed over two and half days in the summer of 2019, the show highlights The Living Desert’s breeding programs for African Wild Dogs, Mexican Gray Wolf, Arabian Oryx, and Slender Horned Gazelles. Also featured is the Zoo’s Senior Conservation Biologist Sarah Greely, who shares details about the zoo’s many Species Survival Plans.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the science behind what we do here at The Living Desert,” said President/CEO Allen Monroe. “We are a conservation first organization, working to save species around the world. This kind of show helps highlight that, and lets people know, on a deeper level, who we are and what we are trying to accomplish.”

“It’s fitting that we are a part of the 'Surveillance' episode,” said The Living Desert's Director of Animal Care RoxAnna Breitigan. “It’s part of our mission to keep watch over endangered species and make sure they are not going extinct. When reintroducing species into the wild, there are tracking methods in place to help gather data and be sure those animals continue to thrive and play their important role in the ecosystem.”