San Diego, California - The San Diego Zoo hosted a ceremony this morning to debut a U.S. Postal Service special pictorial stamp dedicated to sharks. The ceremony was held at the all-new Conrad Prebys Africa Rocks exhibit and featured remarks by representatives from the San Diego Zoo and U.S. Postal Service (USPS), followed by special enrichment activities for the leopard sharks residing at the Cape Fynbos habitat at Africa Rocks.

This ceremony kicked off a daylong pictorial cancellation opportunity at the San Diego Zoo promoting the sale of the USPS Sharks Forever stamps featuring five species of shark that inhabit American waters. The five species include the mako, thrasher, great white, hammerhead and whale sharks.  Speakers referenced the need to raise awareness for sharks as they face continued threats from wildlife trafficking.

The leopard sharks housed at the San Diego Zoo are one of the most common shark species found along the coast of California, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species lists the leopard shark as a species of Least Concern. The 12 sharks in the Cape Fynbos penguin habitat range in age from 5 to 20 years, and they average between 3 and 5 feet in length. Visitors to the San Diego Zoo can see the leopard sharks swimming alongside the Zoo’s colony of endangered African penguins when the Cape Fynbos habitat at Conrad Prebys Africa Rocks opens July 1. 

Bringing species back from the brink of extinction is the goal of San Diego Zoo Global. As a leader in conservation, the work of San Diego Zoo Global includes on-site wildlife conservation efforts (representing both plants and animals) at the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, as well as international field programs on six continents. The work of these entities is inspiring children through the San Diego Zoo Kids network, reaching out through the internet and in children’s hospitals nationwide. The work of San Diego Zoo Global is made possible by the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy and is supported in part by the Foundation of San Diego Zoo Global.