“Did you know that your new cell phone has a big impact on flamingos?” asks Reid Park Zoo’s Development Officer Jed Dodds in a short Zoo News segment that’s already getting attention — and for good reason. The Tucson Zoo is warning that the lithium powering our rechargeable devices is being mined from the very high‑salinity mountain lakes flamingos depend on, and it’s urging visitors to recycle old electronics to help protect those fragile wetlands.
Reid Park Zoo’s Conservation Supervisor Kristin Ulvestad explains in the segment that many rechargeable batteries rely on lithium, a salt that’s increasingly mined from “salars” — high‑salinity lakes found in Andean highlands and other mountain regions in South America. Those wetlands are critical flamingo habitat, and mining operations often build directly on or near them and use large amounts of fresh water in processing, reducing water available to wildlife and degrading the habitat flamingos need to survive.
The Zoo highlights two practical ways community members can help: Visiting the zoo supports the Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE program (Saving Animals from Extinction), a conservation effort the zoo participates in. And if you want to do something immediate, bring old electronics to the zoo’s on‑site electronics recycling bin…