A Tampa, Florida, entrepreneur, Jonathan “Jon” Yob guides the Yob Family Foundation as president and contributes to community development activities. One noteworthy effort involves sponsorship of ZooTampa’s Koala Encounter, which pledges to protect koalas. In addition, Jonathan Yob and the foundation support the Lowry Park institution’s commitment to providing a home for threatened wildlife.
Involved in 115 total species survival programs, ZooTampa works toward sustainability through offering medical care to Florida panthers and Florida black bears who are orphaned or injured. At the same time, it oversees propagation initiatives centered on species such as the Puerto Rican crested toad and the Eastern indigo snake. In-the-field ZooTampa programs are conducted with organizations such as the Bornean Orangutan Survival Foundation and the penguin-focused Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds.
In 2020, all of these ecosystem and wildlife conservation initiatives were brought together under the program ZT Saves. This unified program serves to boost the profile of ongoing efforts and ensure that contributions are directed to where they can have maximum impact. One bright spot for supporters of ZooTampa in October, 2020, was the birth of a baby rhino at the zoo. The baby was named Gronk! after Rob Gronkowski, a tight end with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team.
