Archive for the ‘Galapagos’ Category

Feb
17

Houston Zoo Wildlife Conservation is on Facebook!

Posted by in Africa,amphibians,Attwater's Prairie Chicken,Black bears,Borneo,Carnivores,Chimpanzee,community-based conservation,Conservation,Elephant,Endangered Species,Field Research,Galapagos,Going Green,Gorilla,orangutan,Painted Dog,Panama,Rhino,Travel

 

Booming chickens on prairies and adventures to find bear hair in the Big Thicket. Leech infested forests? Monsoons? Leg swallowing mud and Sea Gull poo? Wild Orangutans that use bridges and toads with implants.  Confused? Don’t be. Join us and interact with local and global conservation on our new Houston Zoo Conservation Facebook page. Keep up with the conservation department and our partners in the field, and don’t forget to comment along the way!

Link here and follow along: http://www.facebook.com/#!/houstonzooconservation

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Feb
09

Galapagos Tortoise Sebastian may well have been alive and well when Darwin was developing his theory of Natural Selection

Posted by in Clothing,Endangered Species,Field Research,Galapagos

Who are Sebastian and Carolina, why do they have T shirts, and why are they on sale here at the Houston Zoo?
1.Who are Sebastian and Carolina?
Sebastian and Carolina are wild giant tortoises who live on the Island of Santa Cruz in the heart of the Galapagos Archipelago. Under the auspices of the Galapagos Tortoise Programme, Sebastian and Carolina are participants in a study of tortoise migration, along with another 44 tortoises spread over three different islands: Santa Cruz, Isabela, and Española. The study is coordinated by the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany, in strong collaboration with the Galapagos National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Foundation.

Satellite tag

Sebastian and Carolina were fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) telemetry tags in May 2009, and we have been following their movements ever since.  When we found the tortoises they did not have names of course, but it quickly because obvious what they should be called because a recently married Ecuadorian couple, Sebastian Cruz and Carolina Proaño, who are conducting sea bird research on Galapagos assisted in the tagging operation. Since the tortoises were found together after what must have been a night of passionate romance (judging by the amount of mud covering Carolina’s shell), we felt there was only one choice for their names, so Sebastian and Carolina they became.
Sebastian has his own Facebook page (Sebastian Keynes), and is always delighted to make new friends.

2. Why do they have T shirts?
The Galapagos Tortoise Programme seeks not only to do cutting edge ecological research, but also to do meaningful conservation. One way in which we attempt to do this is through education. On Galapagos, we are working with the Scalesia Foundation to develop a tortoise-based conservation education programme in the Tomas de Berlanga school, and hopefully others. We developed a highly productive collaboration with the Lonesome George & Company toward this effort. Lonesome George & Co. manufacture and distribute the special edition “Sebastian” and “Carolina” line of T shirts, which are sold in the company’s stores and online. Half of the post production revenues go to funding our education programme. The hope is that T shirt buyers will look good in their T shirts, support real conservation, and as Lonesome George & Company say “Show you care with the clothes you wear”.
Charles Darwin’s Great great grandson(left)  and the human Sebastian (right) sporting their T shirts in the Lonesome George & Co. store in Galapagos

3. Why are Sebastian and Carolina T shirts on sale in the Houston Zoo?
The Houston Zoo is not only committed to conservation and environmental education, so when we approached them to ask for help with our conservation education project on Galapagos, they were all ears. The Houston Zoo education department offered immediate assistance in developing training materials for school children, and we began discussing possibilities for initiating interactive education programmes between school pupils on Galapagos and in Houston. The Houston Zoo also offered to sell our T shirts in their gift store, and pledged that ALL proceeds from sales would go directly to the Galapagos Tortoise Programme. At the end of 2010, a team of educators from the Houston Zoo visited Galapagos to get a better feel for how they could engage with conservation education in the most productive way. We hope to roll out an exciting international education programme in this coming year.
Chronicles of Narnia star supports the Galapagos Tortoise Programme.
Skandar Keynes, who plays Edmund Pevensie, proudly wears his Sebastian T shirt to promote our activities. Skandar has Galapagos in his blood, since he is the Great great great grandson of  Charles Darwin…It is odd indeed to  think that Sebastian may well have been alive and well when Darwin was developing his theory of Natural Selection.

By Dr. Stephen Blake

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Jan
21

The Houston Zoo’s Staff Conservation Campaign

Posted by in Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research,Galapagos,Komodo Dragon

Head veterinarian Dr. Joe with Galapagos tortoise in the Galapagos

What is this Staff conservation campaign do you say?  I think it might be the coolest zoo conservation program in all the land!  It is definitely something the Houston Zoo can be very proud of. 

The Houston’s Zoo Staff Conservation Campaign began in 2004 as a mechanism for staff involvement in the generation of zoo conservation dollars. No other zoo in the world operates such a successful program, a program where zoo employees donate a portion of their hard-earned wages to conserve wildlife.

In 2010, $20,000 of employee raised conservation dollars were allocated to a fund in which staff can apply to participate in conservation research, education and implementation. Through an application process and committee review process, this program not only allows a mechanism for staff involvement in conservation, but encourages individuals to think critically about the development of a conservation project from start to finish. 

The following conservation and research projects were funded in 2010:
  

Barton Springs Salamander

Barton Springs Salamander Survey
Reptile keeper Ryan Scroggins is monitoring the critically endangered Barton Springs Salamander, an endemic  from the Hill Country of Texas, to help the City of Austin manage this species.  

Rodent & Insectivore Survey of the Big Thicket National Preserve
Children’s Zoo supervisor Charlona Ingram put together a project to capture, identify and document the rodents and insectivores residing in the Big Thicket National Preserve (BTNP) in southeast Texas.  

Brown Pelican

Sundown Island Bird Habitat Maintenance Weekend
Jeremy Cecil of Facilities participated in Workday Weekends at Sundown Island Bird sanctuary, a critically important nesting habitat for many bird species, in order to facilitate the repair and upkeep of nesting platforms, signage, repair/replacement of fresh water pond liners and drainage, fire ant management and restoration of native trees and shrubs.   

Herpetology supervisor Judith Bryja restraining a Komodo dragon in Komodo National Park.

Galapagos Tortoise translocation
Head vet Dr. Joe Flanagan assisted to assure the health of 39 captive born, hybrid Galapagos tortoises released onto Pinta island to become “habitat engineers” to help in restoring ecological balance to the habitat.  

 Komodo Dragon Field Research
Herpetology supervisor Judith Bryja participated in field research that tracked Komodo dragon population trends and growth rates in Komodo National Park.   

Howler Monkeys of Belize                                                                                                            

Primate keepers Cheka Kazen and Lucy Dee Anderson traveled to the Wildlife Care Center of Belize and aided in the census of black howler monkeys that were rehabilitated and released into the wild by the center.  

Daily Distance and Movement of HZI Elephants
The elephant staff is using satellite collars on the zoo’s elephants to determine how much they walk on a daily basis, what, if anything, influences them to move, and how they utilize the current exhibit space.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Nov
19

Conservation Holiday Gifts

Posted by in Africa,Clothing,community-based conservation,Conservation,Cotton-top Tamarin,Endangered Species,Galapagos,What You Can Do

Consider this your start of holiday shopping and there is no need to get in line at 4 am for our doorbuster specials. Our doors open at 9am by the way. If you have ever visited the zoo’s gift shop, there is a small corner behind the register which we call our conservation marketplace. By marketing these unique lines of quality crafts in our gift shop the Houston zoo enables local artisans to make a living outside wildlife parks, strengthen their communities and help preserve fragile endangered specie’s habitats. 

Much of the product here is made by local communities in Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Colombia, Mongolia and other countries. For example Iganyana Art Center was created by Painted Dog Conservation (PDC) in Zimbabwe. Fewer then 3000 African wild dogs remain in Africa due to various human pressures.   Poaching with snares (wire traps) continues to be one of the leading threats to the survival of this species. The wire collected by the anti-poaching units is sent to PDC’s Iganyana arts center, where local artisans from rural villages use it to create beautiful intricate art.  Production of this artwork provides skills and financial security for the artists. 

Virunga Artisan Products “The Art of People & Gorillas Living in Harmony ” is staffed by locals from the communities surrounding Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda/DR Congo and the Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. 
The women of the Nkuringo Basket Weavers Association live on the southwest edge of Bwindi National Park in an area seldom visited by tourists.  The people of Nkuringo traditionally have made their living from subsistence agriculture. Earnings from basket sales have made a tremendous difference in the lives of the women of Nkuringo and their families, including the ability to send their children to school and access to health care.

So you see, it is not about making a sale for sale’s sake with these products but it is another way the zoo conservation department works with programs to develop economic incentives for local people living with some of the world’s most threatened species.

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Nov
18

African Forest: Bushmeat

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

What is Bushmeat?

In Africa, forest is often referred to as ‘the bush’, thus wildlife and the meat derived from it is referred to as ‘bushmeat’.

The term bushmeat is now commonly used for illegally harvested and marketed wildlife in Africa, Asia and Latin America. “Bushmeat” applies to all wildlife species, including threatened and endangered species, used for meat including: elephant; gorilla; chimpanzee and other primates; forest antelope (duikers); crocodile; porcupine; bush pig; cane rat; pangolin; monitor lizard; guinea fowl and many others.
Unsustainable commercial take, many times illegally, is one of the primary causes in the decline of wildlife species in Africa. Though habitat loss is often cited as the primary threat to wildlife, commercial hunting for the meat of wild animals has become the most significant immediate threat to the future of wildlife in Africa and around the world; it has already resulted in widespread local extinctions in Asia and West Africa.
This threat to wildlife is a crisis because it is rapidly expanding to countries and species which were previously not at risk, largely due to an increase in commercial logging, with an infrastructure of roads and trucks that links forests and hunters to cities and consumers.
Rural communities have always hunted as a protein source for their diets. Sustainably managed, wildlife populations could survive under these circumstances. Today, wildlife is taken in large quantities not solely for personal consumption but for profit and commercial resale. Wildlife populations simply cannot rebound fast enough to maintain viable populations in these areas and are quickly becoming extirpated from many regions of Africa.
For more information and what you can do to slow the trade – link here to our African Forest microsite

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Nov
16

Galapagos News

Posted by in Endangered Species,Field Research,Galapagos

Joe and a Galapagos Tortoise

Dr. Joe Flanagan is one of our star vets here at the zoo.  When he is not at the zoo he continues to save species in the Galapagos.  The Galapagos tortoise is very near and dear to his heart and he joins in the efforts to ensure this species survival.

Check out the latest issue of “Galapagos News” they spotlight his most recent exciting effort with the Pinta tortoise project.  He co-wrote the story inside.   Click the link below, then pick the fall/winter 2010 issue.

http://www.galapagos.org/2008/index.php?id=88

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Sep
07

Contibute to Galapagos Tortoise Conservation by Buying a Stylish Tortoise T-shirt

Posted by in Clothing,Conservation,Endangered Species,Galapagos

 

Women's Galapagos Tortoise shirt

A company called Lonesome George & Co created a clothing line to raise awareness about Galapagos Island tortoises.  This company was named after the famous, Lonesome George, he is the last known surviving Galapagos Pinta Island Tortoise. He sits in a large captive facility on Santa Crus island; scientists hope they will find a female survivor for him in the near future. Lonesome George & Co. was created to guarantee that his legacy would live on.

Men's Galapagos tortoise shirt

These  t-shirts spotlight other Galapagos tortoises with the name of the individual on the front and a comical personal description on the back.     The shirts are bright blue and slate gray.  They are available in all sizes in both men’s and women’s styles.  A percentage of all the proceeds go to Galapagos tortoise conservation.  Come and visit the conservation area of  the Houston zoo gift shop and purchase your t-shirt soon!

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