Photo Ark project on display at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - As the original home of the Photo Ark, the Lincoln Children’s Zoo now has 28 pieces displayed throughout the Lincoln Children’s Zoo.

The project began in 2006 with a picture of a naked mole rat taken by Joel Sartore. Since then, Sartore has documented over 12,000 different species across the world. His goal is to eventually include 20,000 portraits of species, with the goal to inspire people to preserve and care for the animals.

“His whole goal is to get the portrait of the animal looking right at you and reaching into your heart, into your essence so you become passionate about saving these animals from extinction,” John Chapo with the Lincoln Children’s Zoo said. “He started documenting them right here and now he’s gone international, going to zoos and sanctuaries around the globe.”

The Lincoln Children’s Zoo is displaying over 50 of the photos around the zoo, including some of the animals that were photographed at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo.