The Indianapolis Zoo is using a $4 million startup grant to open an international center devoted to saving threatened species.
Zoo officials call the center a natural extension of their biennial Indianapolis Prize, which honors animal conservation leaders.
The center is a partnership between the zoo and the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Species Survival Commission. The two signed a deal Monday to establish the center during a commission meeting in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The zoo received the funding from Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. to support the fledgling center.
The Global Center for Species Survival is expected to open in 2020. The center will employ a team of nine experts in Indianapolis who will work with more than 9,000 wildlife experts around the world.