Marilyn & Bill Tennity Wildlife Hospital & Conservation Center

The Marilyn & Bill Tennity Wildlife Hospital & Conservation Center at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert is one of the most meaningful places inside the park because it reveals the important animal-care and conservation work happening behind the scenes. More than a traditional veterinary facility, Tennity is designed as a public-facing hospital where guests can learn how zoo animals are cared for, speak with volunteers, explore interactive exhibits, view medical exams, and sometimes observe live veterinary procedures during normal park hours. It gives visitors a rare look at the science, compassion, and daily expertise required to protect the health of the animals throughout The Living Desert. The hospital is also closely tied to The Living Desert’s broader mission of desert conservation, education, and species protection. One of its most important contributions has been its role in the desert tortoise headstarting program, a conservation effort created in partnership with organizations including San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Edwards Air Force Base, and the U.S. Geological Survey. In 2022, 69 wild desert tortoise hatchlings and eggs from Edwards Air Force Base arrived at Tennity Wildlife Hospital, where they were cared for in a protected, temperature-controlled environment with incubators, warm habitats, and nutrient-rich diets. This helped the hatchlings grow much faster than they typically would in the wild, reducing their vulnerability to predators and improving their chances of surviving to reproductive age. The program has continued with newer cohorts, including eggs for the 2024–2025 headstarting season. After their early care, the tortoises are prepared for release through a process that includes outdoor re-acclimation, predator-awareness training for threats such as ravens and coyotes, and radio tracking so scientists can study their survival, movement, habitat use, and long-term success in the desert. This makes Tennity not only a place of treatment, but also a working conservation center where veterinary care, field research, and species recovery come together. Visitors can also experience conservation education through programs connected to the hospital, including the Rats to the Rescue Encounter, where guests meet a HeroRAT, learn how scent-detection animals support conservation work, watch a short training and field-work presentation, and see a live detection demonstration. This type of experience helps connect guests with the larger idea that conservation often depends on science, training, teamwork, and creative problem-solving—not only animal exhibits. The Tennity Wildlife Hospital also supports The Living Desert’s larger identity as an accredited zoo and botanical garden dedicated to desert conservation. The Living Desert is involved in more than 80 conservation projects worldwide, including local habitat work, field conservation, species recovery, and onsite initiatives. Within that larger mission, Tennity serves as a bridge between the animals visitors see in the park and the professional animal care, veterinary medicine, research, and conservation programs that help protect wildlife beyond the zoo’s pathways. For special events, the hospital is also listed by The Living Desert as a private venue with an indoor garden, front patio, and optional behind-the-scenes tours of the animal-care center, making it one of the most distinctive spaces at the zoo for guests who want a deeper connection to conservation.