LEO Zoological Conservation Center

The Lionshare Educational Organization (LEO) Zoological Conservation Center is an off -exhibit, nonprofit wildlife reserve and breeding facility in Greenwich and Stamford, Connecticut.

LEO Zoological Conservation Center is located on Lionshare Farm, a property of about 90 to 100 acres (36 to 40 ha) owned by Marcella and Peter Leone. Marcella Leone established the LEO Conservation Center in 2009 to house and breed threatened and endangered animals, particularly species at risk of extinction.

As of July 2015, the facility housed about 50 species, including camels, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, giraffes, orangutans and other primates, and penguins. Unlike a traditional zoo, it is not open to the public. However, "Private Safari Tours" can be arranged for an allotted minimum donation. LEOZCC also hosts special visits for educational institutions. Conservation biologists say that breeding facilities, such as LEO, that do not exhibit animals play an important role in maintaining healthy populations of endangered animal species.

In February 2013, the center announced the birth of an eastern mountain bongo, an antelope indigenous to Kenya that is close to extinction in the wild. The following month, a Rothschild giraffe was born at the facility. Photos and video of the baby giraffe, which belongs to a very endangered subspecies of giraffe, attracted extensive media attention. The center announced a public contest to choose a name for the baby; in response, over 6,000 suggestions were submitted on the center's website. The winning name, Sandy Hope, was announced on the NBC Today show on April 1, 2013.

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