Archive for the ‘Conservation’ Category

May
17

Wildlife Heroes Profiles: Painted Dog Conservation

Posted by in Africa,Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Carnivores,community-based conservation,Conservation,Doubt and Xmas,Endangered Species,Featured,Field Research

Join us on May 19th and 20th for wildlife Heroes weekend.  On May 20th we welcome Jeff Flocken, co-author of Wildlife Heroes: 40 Leading Conservationists and the Animals they are Committed to Saving for a book-signing and presentations by zoo staff on the focus species of the book. Wildlife Heroes will be available for sale at the zoo on May 20th, quantities are limited!  Books are also available for  pre-order on the Houston Zoo website at: http://www.houstonzoo.org/wildlife-heroes/for a dicounted price until May 17th.

To give you an idea of the projects covered in the book, we thought we would highlight a few of the projects the Houston Zoo supports throughout the week:

Dr. Greg Rasmussen: Painted Dog Conservation

Painted Dog Conservation (PDC) was originally established as Painted Dog Research in 1992 by Dr. Gregory Rasmussen. During the first two years the human-induced incidents from snares, shootings and road kills accounted for 95% of all Painted dog (aka African wild dog) mortalities. Early public presentations showed prejudice and ignorance and it was clear that unless this situation was addressed, the species could become extinct. The initial emphasis was to identify the critical issues and develop a strategy that would make a substantial, lasting contribution to Painted Dogs, nature conservation and, very importantly, to the lives of the local people.

Today, PDC employs over 60 people from the local communities to run programs that ensure the survival of the Painted dogs and improvement the livelihoods of the local people.

PDC is a leading model for community-based predator conservation. By combining the most advanced modern technology with traditional knowledge of local communities, PDC has experienced great success – Zimbabwe’s wild dog population has increased from 400 to 700 individuals since the project’s inception. PDC’s model also brings direct benefit to local people with increased employment and unparalleled education opportunities.

Painted Dog in rehabilitation facility just before release back into the wild

Residents of PDC’s neighboring communities not only benefit from its programs but also actively contribute to them.  For example, community members are employed in anti-poaching units and produce beautiful and unique art from the confiscated snare wire.  They assist in systematic monitoring of the painted dog population and teach environmental educational.  The active engagement of local residents empowers communities, strengthens conservation, and raises environmental awareness. 

When you come to the Houston Zoo on May 19th and 20th for our Wildlife Heroes weekend visit the Painted dog exibit area, and try your hand at building your own snare wire sculptures.  Wire sculpture building will take place at 10am until 12 pm on both days .  Hope to see you there!

You can meet Dr. Greg Rasmussen at the 2012 Wildlife Conservation Expo on October 13th in San Francisco, CA

 

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May
16

Wildlife Heroes Profiles: Okapi

Posted by in Africa,Animal Origins & Fun Facts,community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Featured,Field Research,Okapi,Uncategorized

Join us on May 19th and 20th for wildlife Heroes weekend.  On May 20th we welcome Jeff Flocken, co-author of Wildlife Heroes: 40 Leading Conservationists and the Animals they are Committed to Saving for a book-signing and presentations by zoo staff on the focus species of the book. Wildlife Heroes will be available for sale at the zoo on May 20th, quantities are limited!  Books are also available for  pre-order on the Houston Zoo website at: http://www.houstonzoo.org/wildlife-heroes/for a dicounted price until May 17th.

To give you an idea of the projects covered in the book, we thought we would highlight a few of the projects the Houston Zoo supports throughout the week:

Okapi Conservation Project, Democratic Republic of Congo – John Lukas

This not John Lukas but this is an Okapi in Epulu Conservation Station, DRC

John Lukas is the Executive Director of the White Oak Conservation Center in Yule, Florida and the founder of the Okapi Conservation Project.

Striped hindquarters of a OkapiThere is very little that is not amazing about the Okapi. Perfectly colored to blend into the deep forest of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), this distant relative of the Giraffe looks like more like a relative of the Zebra from their striped hindquarters and legs. Currently believed to  exist exclusively in the Ituri Forest of the DRC, a country that is struggling with civil strife, illegal mining operations and illegal logging,  it is a flagship and iconic species for a region which is one of the most biologically diverse in the world.

The species was not discovered by scientists until 1901 which is even more amazing for a mammal the size of a horse

The Okapi is a conservation success story, in a very difficult region, all due to the workd of the Okapi Conservation Project. You can view the Houston Zoo’s Okapi right next to our Elephant exhibit.

John Lukas will be a presenter at the Wildlife Conservation Network Expo on October 13, 2012 in San Francisco, CA

Come and visit the Okapi exhibit at the Zoo on May 19th and 20th for our Wildlife Heroes weekend to learn about the alternate protein source effort the Okapi project is attempting to reduce the need for poaching.

 

 

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May
15

Wildlife Heroes Profiles: Cotton-top Tamarins

Posted by in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Central America,community-based conservation,Conservation,Cotton-top Tamarin,Endangered Species,Featured,Field Research

Join us on May 19th and 20th for wildlife Heroes weekend.  On May 20th we welcome Jeff Flocken, co-author of Wildlife Heroes: 40 Leading Conservationists and the Animals they are Committed to Saving for a book-signing and presentations by zoo staff on the focus species of the book. Wildlife Heroes will be available for sale at the zoo on May 20th, quantities are limited!  Books are also available for  pre-order on the Houston Zoo website at: http://www.houstonzoo.org/wildlife-heroes/for a dicounted price until May 17th.

To give you an idea of the projects covered in the book, we thought we would highlight a few of the projects the Houston Zoo supports throughout the week:

 

Rosamira Guillen, Director of Proyecto Titi: Cotton-top Tamarins.

That monkey has one bad hairdo.

Cotton-top Tamarin, Colombia. Proyecto Titi

This should make it easy to promote, or hard to promote – who wants an endangered species of primate roaming around the forest if they cannot manage their hair? Well, we do!

Cotton-top tamarins are an endangered species of primate found only in the tropical forests of Colombia. Weighing about 1 pound, this tiny monkey needs our help in order to survive. Proyecto Tití is a conservation program that works to study cotton-top tamarins in their tropical forest habitat  as well as educating local communities about the need to protect the biodiversity of Colombia. But, to make conservation economically feasible  for many local communities, they have developed some innovative strategies to empower local people to get involved and benefit from conservation activities.

Rosamira Guillen has worked tirelessly to protect this species. Over 90% of the cotton-top tamarins forest has been lost to development and other activities. Proyecto Titi began in 1985 and is committed to raising public awareness to the plight of the cotton-top tamarin through a variety of projects involving numerous individuals and organizations.

From community education programs to alternative uses for heating and cooking, Proyecto Titi is making a difference in protecting this very important primate within a limited habitat. Learn more at http://proyectotiti.com

If you are on the West Coast and would like to meet Rosamira Guillen, she will be presenting in Losa Altos, California on June 2nd and then at the Wildlife Conservation Network Expo in San Francisco, CA on October 13th, 2012.

Join us for the Wildlife Heroes weekend here at the Houston Zoo on May 19th and 20th and learn about the community commerce effort this project has created to offer new ways to generate income for the poor surrounding communities.  During the keeper chats on this special weekend you will also hear about various research techniques this project uses for this unique species.

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May
11

Wildlife Heroes Profiles: Rhinos

Posted by in Africa,community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Featured,Field Research,Rhino

Join us on May 19th and 20th for wildlife Heroes weekend.  On May 20th we welcome Jeff Flocken, co-author of Wildlife Heroes: 40 Leading Conservationists and the Animals they are Committed to Saving for a book-signing and presentations by zoo staff on the focus species of the book. Wildlife Heroes will be available for sale at the zoo on May 20th, quantities are limited!  Books are also available for  pre-order on the Houston Zoo website at: http://www.houstonzoo.org/wildlife-heroes/for a dicounted price until May 17th.

To give you an idea of the projects covered in the book, we thought we would highlight a few of the projects the Houston Zoo supports throughout the week:

 

Raoul Du Toit: African Rhinoceros

Raoul Du Toit truly is a Rhino Hero. Raoul is the International Rhino Foundations African Rhino Program Advisor and the Director of the Lowveld Rhino Trust in Zimbabwe. He has worked for over 25 years to protect the Black Rhino and White Rhinos of Africa, two species whose populations sturggle due to habitat loss and immense poaching pressures.

The Rhinoceros has survived on our planet for millions of years and once occurred not only in Africa and Asia but in Europe andNorth Americaas well. But today, only five species of rhino survive. Four of these five species sit on the verge of extinction and the fifth, the White rhino, holds a population of less than 18,000 individuals across the African continent.

The Rhino is truly a species on the edge. Zoos, conservation organizations, and field researchers have worked together for many years to help fight for their survival. It is difficult to protect a species whose numbers have plummeted so quickly but when you consider the 25,000 rhinos worldwide are spilt between 5 species, it makes the challenge of recovery all that more daunting.

To learn more about the Houston Zoo’s work with Rhino Conservation or to support our efforts, follow the link.

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May
10

Wildlife Heroes Profiles: Tapir Conservation

Posted by in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Central America,community-based conservation,Conservation,Field Research,South America

Join us on May 19th and 20th for wildlife Heroes weekend.  On May 20th we welcome Jeff Flocken, co-author of Wildlife Heroes: 40 Leading Conservationists and the Animals they are Committed to Saving for a book-signing and presentations by zoo staff on the focus species of the book. Wildlife Heroes will be available for sale at the zoo on May 20th, quantities are limited!  Books are also available for  pre-order on the Houston Zoo website at: http://www.houstonzoo.org/wildlife-heroes/for a dicounted price until May 17th.

To give you an idea of the projects covered in the book, we thought we would highlight a few of the projects the Houston Zoo supports throughout the week:

Dr. Patricia Medici, Lowland Tapir Conservation Initiative

The Houston Zoo has been a fan of Pati Medici’s going back nearly a dozen years.  Chair of the IUCN (World Conservation Union) Tapir Specialist Group, Dr. Medici assists in directing conservation activities for all four species of  Tapir – 3 from Latin America and 1 from Malaysia.

Tapirs are what we would call “landscape architects”. They not only create trails through the thick underbrush of the forest for other animals, but they also manage the forest because of the plants they eat and the seeds they disperse.

The Lowland Tapir Conservation Initiative aims to establish a long-term Tapir Research and Conservation Programs in all key Brazilian biomes. Specifically, basic ecology, population demography, habitat use and animal movement, genetic profile, and health status will be evaluated in each biome. The main goals of this project are to use the data collected to assess the conservation status and viability of the lowland tapir populations in the Brazilian biomes, and to design specific set of recommendations for the conservation of the species in each one of them.

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May
09

Wildlife Heroes is an awesome book, and we have the author coming to the Zoo!

Posted by in Africa,amphibians,Bats,Birds,Borneo,Bumblebees,Carnivores,Central America,Chimpanzee,community-based conservation,Conservation,Cotton-top Tamarin,Elephant,Endangered Species,Field Research,Going Green,Gorilla,Okapi,orangutan,Painted Dog,Panama,Rhino,Sea Turtles,South America,What You Can Do

Join us on May 19th and 20th for Wildlife Heroes weekend at the Houston Zoo.  On May 20th we welcome Jeff Flocken, co-author of Wildlife Heroes: 40 Leading Conservationists and the Animals they are Committed to Saving for a book-signing and presentations by zoo staff on the focus species of the book. Wildlife Heroes will be available for sale at the zoo on May 20th, quantities are limited!  Books are also available for  pre-order on the Houston Zoo website at: http://www.houstonzoo.org/wildlife-heroes/for a dicounted price until May 17th.

My first heroes were animal people.  When I went to zoos my heroes were the zoo keepers and when I watched animal documentaries the researchers were my heroes.  We all need amazing people to inspire us and that is why the new book Wildlife Heroes is so wonderful. 

The book includes 40 people overcoming impossible odds to save endangered species all over the world.  If you are looking for real heroes for your children to look up to look now further! 

The unique stories in this book of local communities becoming involved in anti-poaching, education and research efforts for wildlife in their own back yard are immeasurably inspiring!  In one story a young boy, Thia grew up in Northern Vietnam watching his village hunt the very species he fights to save today.  His passion to help a unique species called the pangolin will warm your heart!
 
I have had the honor of meeting many of the heroes in this book (including the authors) over the years and they inspire me to move forward in my own wildlife conservation work.  These are real people making a real difference! 

This book introduces readers to pollinator and amphibian decline and other environment issues that continue to threaten our world.  But it also offers great messages of hope.  In the last chapter Jack Hannah suggests ways the reader can help, and the good news is that by purchasing the Wildlife Heroes book you are already helping- 100 % of the proceeds go to the projects featured in the book.  A win for everyone!

Hope to see you at the Houston Zoo for our Wildlife Heroes weekend May 19th and 20th!

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May
03

Saving a Sea turtle!

Posted by in Conservation,Endangered Species,Sea Turtles,Texas

Dr Joe with turtle

Be ready for a story of an endangered Kemp’s Ridley female sea turtle with a happy ending! 
Our head veterinarian, Dr. Joe Flanagan has been working to save sea turtles for many years now.  He is the main sea turtle vet in the area and knows no limits when it comes to helping the species.  Last Memorial Day, a large female endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle was found by sea turtle beach patrol staff digging a nest in the sand on a Galveston beach.  The team immediately noticed that she had sustained severe injuries.  She had attempted to dig 3 nests, but had not dropped any eggs.  They rushed her to the Houston Zoo’s veterinary clinic for treatment and examination by Dr. Joe.
 
Upon arrival Dr. Joe was alarmed by the state of this female Sea turtle.  He has seen many injured and stranded sea turtles over the years and tries to remain optimistic for most of his cases, but Joe later admitted he was very doubtful this one would survive her injuries.  She had lost a lot of blood and her carapace or shell was severely damaged, it was clear she had been impacted by a boat propeller. 

Identification tags revealed that Joe had met this turtle before.  He discovered that he had released her as a baby turtle almost 20 years prior.  She was a Head-start (a process where individuals of a species are sheltered in captivity through the more vulnerable stages of development and then released where they were found) turtle released in1992.  This case quickly became very near and dear to his heart. 
After Joe had done everything he could for the turtle at the Zoo’s clinic she was transported to the sea turtle Barn in Galveston to recover.  She laid the eggs she had attempted to deposit on the Galveston beach.  Many of them were viable and sent to Padre Island to be incubated and hatched.  Her offspring were released later in the year. 
Joe visited her at the Galveston Turtle Barn many times throughout the year, delighted to see her respond to his many treatments.  The skin has healed nicely and although there is a potion of her carapace/shell missing, but it does not affect her ability to swim.  He was very excited to announce recently that she is fit to be released.  Almost a year from finding her severely damaged body on the beach she is ready to go back to the wild!

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May
03

Lost and Found

Posted by in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Conservation,Endangered Species,Featured,Field Research

Rarely a day goes by here when we do not get a email or news report of one species or another in decline. It is part of the business and communication of conservation. At the same time there is a report every few months of a new insect or plant or even an amphibian that has been discovered in some of the few unexplored regions of the world. Even more exciting is when a large animal such as the Saola, a antelope from Laos and Vietnam, was discovered some 20 years ago.

Once in a while, we simply lose things. People lose things all the time; keys, their phones, sunglasses, a stroller – thankfully without the baby it was brought in to wheel around, one sock – we all lose one sock. I knew a red panda that lost his sock once but that is a story for another day.

Unfortunately we lose species – back in 2010 the Yangtze River Dolphin was pronounced to be extinct. That is a pretty big mammal to go extinct under our watch. In 1975, a specimen of large rodent was discovered on a small island in the Philippines. Known as the Dinagat Island Cloud Rat (Crateromys australis to us rodent nerds), this species was never seem again and thus declared extinct. That was until this year when the Dinagat Island Cloud rat was seen and videotaped by two researchers.

Drawing of Dinagat bushy-tailed cloud rat by William Oliver of the Philippines Biodiversity Conservation Foundation

It may not sound like much, who needs another rodent in the world right? But this is an amazing find and amazing little mammal. I say little mammal but this is one of the largest and most beautiful of rodent species, endemic to only this one tiny island in the Philippines. Yes I wrote beautiful and rodent in the same sentence, get over it. This island is also home to a few other little known species which most of you are going to think are a bit bizarre but here goes: How about the Dinagat hairy-tailed rat! Sounds exquisite but more exciting is the Dinagat moonrat which is not really a rat but an insectivore – try that for a Jeopardy question, Alex Trebeck!

There are a number of species of Cloud Rats – that’s right, the more the merrier – in the Philippines including the Giant bushy-tailed cloud rat, the Ilin Island cloud rat., northern and southern Luzom cloud rats, Panay bushy-tailed cloud rat and the dwarf cloud rat. This group of species are found nowhere else but the Philippines and are under pressure frm both hunting and habitat loss to agricultural development.

So the next time you lose your phone, don’t worry I found it and have recycled it, but the next time you or your red panda lose a sock, just realize it may take you 37 years to find it again, but when you do it will be one of the most amazing discoveries of your life.

 

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Apr
17

Guest Blogger Carolyn Jess Discusses the Ocelot

Posted by in Conservation,Endangered Species,Guest Blogger,What You Can Do

Carolyn Jess is an 11 year old student who has agreed to be our special guest blogger about wildlife conservation. We first met Carolyn in October 2011 when she came out to the Zoo to meet our special guest Jack Hannah, who was visiting the Zoo to speak at our Conservation Gala. If you would like to contact Carolyn or have comments, you may send them to conservation@houstonzoo.org.

 

Ocelots

 

Four years ago, I first learned about an endangered animal that has become one of my favorites – the ocelot. The ocelot, which is a cat, has a beautiful coat with spots.  It is about twice the size of a normal house cat.  The ocelot lives in the low shrub lands of southTexas.  There are only about 100 ocelots left in theUnited Stateswith half of them living inTexasat the Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge.  The reason why the ocelot is endangered is because their habitat is being destroyed due to housing and other developments.  People are also killing them for their beautiful pelts and some ocelots get hit by cars.

Two years ago, I traveled to the Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge in hopes of spotting an ocelot.  I knew my chances of seeing one were very slim, but I hoped for a miracle that day.  Well, my miracle didn’t happen.  I did not get to see my ocelot out in the wild.  I did manage to see a stuffed one in a display case – he had been killed by a speeding car.  I was disappointed but this helped me to be even more concerned with the ocelots’ survival.

I have continued to raise funds for the endangered ocelot.  A great place that I found to send my donations to is the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Center at Texas A&M Kingsville.  Dr. Michael Tewes works directly with the ocelot and is the director of feline research.  He has used my donations to purchase camera equipment to monitor the ocelot population in Texas.  Mike really cares about the ocelot and works really hard to help these big cats have a fighting chance.

If you would like to see one of the few remaining ocelots, you can visit Novia at the Houston Zoo. She has overcome many obstacles in her life.  She is beautiful and agile and is probably one of the few live ocelots you and I will get to see.

Are you ready to help the ocelot?  If you answered yes, there are some things you can do.  First, you can visit my website:  www.ocelotrescue.webstarts.com.  This website gives facts about the ocelot and other great information like why you should help this big cat.  You could learn more about the ocelot by checking out a book from the library or searching on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.  One of the BEST ways to help is to go see Novia at the Houston Zoo and tell your friends about how close the ocelot is to disappearing forever.

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Mar
31

Human-Wildlife Conflict Collaboration (HWCC)

Posted by in Africa,community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Painted Dog

Last year, I had the opportunity to participate in a Human-Wildlife Conflict Collaboration (HWCC) course.  It was an intense four day training that packed a punch!  It provided essential tools enabling me to handle conflict in any setting, but specifically focus around human-wildlife conflict.  The term ”human-wildlife conflict” is a bit misleading. You may be picturing students in a room with a wild tiger, being told to “work things out”, but let me be clear: people have conflicts with other people about wildlife.

Participants hailed from all over the US.  Many of them were from organizations having the same goal of conserving wolves, but not having a history of working well together.  The dissonance between the group was so palpable, that at first we were asked not to reveal where we worked.  By the end of the training, all of the organizations were working together in harmony and happily revealed who they were during the last case study.  It was a testament to the HWCC course itself to see these groups working together and watch a history of conflicts resolved by the end of the training.
The course focused on providing tools to maintain peace for continued progress in wildlife conservation efforts. It prepares participants to recognize the potential signs of conflict and handle them in the earliest stages. In the world of conservation, time is of the essence. Endangered species often don’t have time for humans to fight amongst themselves. Conflict can bring species protection efforts to a complete halt, which is why this training is so valuable in wildlife conservation.

We are always looking for practical ways to assist our wildlife conservation partners in the field.  HWCC held a training last week in Kenya, and we were able to fund a park guard from the Niassa lion preserve in Mozambique, the lead conservation biologist of the Niassa Lion project in Mozambique, the lead education officer of Painted Dog Conservation in Zimbabwe, and a researcher from the Senegal chimp project.

Niassa Lion Project in Mazambique, Painted Dog Conservation in Zimbabwe and Senegal chimps representitives sent to HWCC training in Kenya

These are a few of the responses we received from the participants after the training:

“Today we finished the training on Human Wildlife Conflict Collaboration at Ol Pejeta in Kenya. I would like to express my gratitude to you for every thing you have done to give to me the opportunity to participate in this training.
I will take this course seriously. I have learned as much I could to improve my contribution for conservation in Niassa National Reserve inMozambique. This course exceeded my expectation and I’m very happy to have this opportunity.”
Mbumba, Niassa National Reserve

“Well, I can honestly say that was the best and most useful workshop I have ever attended. Thank you and the Houston Zoo so much for not only introducing us to HWCC but also for sponsoring Mbumba and I and paying for the travel costs. We very much appreciate it. Both of us walked away  with lots of new ideas and tools to help us deal with conflicts and also make sure that we don’t inadvertently create more conflict  as we move forward. My head is buzzing!  The timing was perfect as NLP moves into engaging community guardians, finding solutions to bush meat snaring  and developing  the Environmental and Skills training centre. It was an amazing group of people that attended from Kenya, Uganda,Tanzania mainly with Kelly from Senegal and a few others from other projects. Peter from the Grevy’s Zebra Trust was there and it was good to see him again and speak about their Guardian programs, and I had a long talk to Wilton from PDC about the bush school program which he runs. So it was so productive on all fronts.
So thank you, it made a big difference. Already I am thinking of other people I need to encourage to do the course as I think it should be essential for anyone working in conservation.  
Kind regards, and many thanks again.”
Colleen Begg
Niassa Lion Conservation

We are very excited to announce that we are hosting the HWCC training at the Houston Zoo in November for our local partners.  Conflict has collapsed conservation efforts in the past, but this training is equipping armies of conservationists with the tools to advance in the battle to save wildlife.

 

 

 

 

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