Love of Wildlife Grows Into Lifelong Passion

As a child, Linda Budge could often be found at the Hogel Zoo in Salt Lake City, Utah. She had one favorite exhibit there: a small Asian elephant named Anna.

Anna was famous. Sometimes Anna threw tantrums, refusing to eat until her favorite trainer returned. Young Linda watched it all with fascination...how the elephant moved, acted, reacted to the weather and the behavior of the people around her. The young girl was enthralled.

Her family spent summers in a cabin in the woods. Linda and her two brothers fished, caught tadpoles and built elaborate cages for the mice and chipmunks they caught. Linda watched and listened to the wildlife around her.

Her junior year at Utah State University was an exciting year. She met and married John. And she began to paint. She wanted to paint the wildlife she loved so much. To do that, she realized she was going to have to study–to learn everything she could about the animals around her. She enrolled in anatomy courses, sketched animals in the wild and participated in workshops.

All of her hard work paid off. Today, she is one of the most popular and esteemed painters of southwestern art in the country. Pieces of her work can be found in permanent collections of libraries, museums and corporations.

She and John live in Arizona now. The first time she met Phoenix Zoo President/CEO Bert Castro their conversation naturally turned to their mutual passion for wildlife and how to teach children to be good stewards of the environment and advocates for animals.

Linda and John quickly became members of the Zoo. They have now joined the Guardian Conservation Society and left a gift to the Zoo in their estate plans. With the help of the Planned Giving Advisory Council, they have designated their gift to an endowment that will perpetually fund conservation programs in the future.

Linda didn't have to be convinced of the value of the Zoo's mission. She lived it. The wide-eyed child who watched Anna, the elephant, with such fascination was forever inspired and motivated to care for the natural world. She and John hope that others—young and old—will be equally inspired by their experiences provided by the Phoenix Zoo.

If you would like to find a way to support the Phoenix Zoo like Linda and John, we would love to discuss the many opportunities to further our mission. Please contact Liz Toth at ltoth@phoenixzoo.org or 602.286.3881.