Archive for December 2010

Dec
30

Time for reflection

Posted by in Uncategorized,What You Can Do

Let’s end this year with a final quote,  shall we…

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”  Jane Goodall

How will you impact the world around you? Try one simple thing to start; recycle a cell phone, recycle at home, turn off a light, use less water, carpool when you can, turn off your computer at night, use green energy (yes – it can be cheaper), turn down your thermostat 1 degree in winter / up 1 degree in summer, pay bills online, wash clothes in cold water, adopt a shelter dog or cat, stop receiving junk mail, switch your lights to compact flourescents, use rechargeable batteries, turn off the light when out of a room, inflate your tires properly (it helps save gas), install a tankless water heater, install a programmable thermostat at home, support your favorite wildlife causes …all simple things you can do to impact the world around you.

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Dec
29

Cheetah Conservation Botswana

Posted by in Africa,amphibians,Carnivores,community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research

In November, Cheetah Conservation Botswana (CCB) completed its livestock guarding dog demonstration area at our base in the Ghanzi farmlands. Kraals, herder accommodation and shelters for the goats and dogs have been built and with the arrival of a small herd of goats the set up is complete. This will act as a demonstration livestock guarding dog (LSGD) project for farmers’ workshops and visitors to the camp. With this initiative, CCB will showcase the predator-friendly farming techniques that we promote in an attempt to minimize livestock losses to predators and in turn mitigate human-predator conflicts.

When farming in a wild landscape like Botswana, which is rich with a diversity of predator species, it is essential to keep your livestock safe.
Certain farm management techniques can reduce the susceptibility of livestock to predators. Such as using LSGD’s along with kraaling livestock at night, reinforcing kraals with thorn bushes, keeping young livestock kraaled, reducing breeding to once or twice a year and synchronizing breeding seasons to those of wildlife.

CCB is excited to have this new demonstration farm and looks forward to teaching this and other predator friendly farming techniques to those in and around the Ghanzi region.

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Dec
28

Breaking News! Mountain Gorilla Population Increase

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

photo courtesy S. Kaufman

The population of critically endangered mountain gorillas living in Africa’s Virunga Massif has grown by 26.3%  to approximately 480 individuals in the past seven years according to the newly released results of the 2010 mountain gorilla census. The last mountain gorilla census of the Virunga region in 2003 estimated a total of 380 animals. The Virunga Massif encompasses national parks in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Some 302 additional mountain gorillas live in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which was not included in this year’s census.

“These amazing results show how the team work of three countries and multiple NGOs collaborating on mountain gorilla conservation has been truly effective,” says Dr. Mike Cranfield, Director of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP). “Not only is the census news great, it’s also a measure of the success of the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project’s ability to save gorilla lives in field as well as the dedicated efforts of other organizations and the national park authorities.”

The Houston Zoo is proud to support the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Prorgam One Health Program. To read more go to:

http://www.gorilladoctorsblog.org/field-blog/2010/12/7/mountain-gorilla-population-in-virunga-increases-by-incredib.html

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Dec
17

Another field report from Peter Blinston at Painted Dog Conservation, Zimababwe

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

We received a new order of beautiful snarewire sculptures from Painted Dog Conservation’s arts and craft center in Zimbabwe the other day.  We have wire rhinos, warthogs, giraffes, and Painted dogs, so stop by the gift shop and take a look. 

Enjoy reading more of  Painted Dog Conservation’s heroic adventures in Zimbabwe!

“November was a pivotal month for Painted Dog Conservation. After many years of trying,we finally succeeded in our ambitions to begin monitoring the dogs in Mana Pools. “Mana” is a key national and regional population and as such, collecting data on pack numbers, individuals and their movements is considered vital.  To this end, I went to Mana Pools with long time dog friend and chairman of PDC Netherlands, Ron van der A. For me it was a real “bus man’s holiday” as we had a single focus. Apart from a cooling swim in the Zambezi River after we arrived at Vundu Camp, hot and bothered from our long drive, it was all about the dogs. Vundu camp is owned and run by Nick and Desiree Murray. It was
purely by chance that we booked to stay at the camp, however it was soon clear that we had made the right choice as Nick is almost as fanatical about the dogs as we are and has years of experience operating in Mana Pools.

We set out at 4:00 AM the following morning,the sky heavy and threatening rain. The temperature quickly soared to impossibly uncomfortable degrees. Nick knows Mana Pools like the back of his hand and we dissected the place, hindered by the limited road network. By 10:00 AM we were extremely hot and frustrated, then Desiree called on the radio. The dogs, the Vundu pack, had been seen to the west the day before, on the Wilderness Safari Concession. Nick sought permission for us to drive onto their private concession, which was granted without any hesitation. Mana Pools is a remote place and the operators there work cooperatively with each other and we have a good relationship with Wilderness through our work in Hwange,however we were all delighted by their willingness to help. It got even better, as they had actually seen the dogs that morning, while on a game drive with their clients. One of the guides knew me from our work on Starvation Island and he took us to the spot where the dogs had been resting just an hour before.

 

Nick and I walked into the thick bush, dodging elephant herds and hoping that the lion we had just seen was walking the other way! I was thinking that it would have been good to have Jealous with us to track them down but I need not have worried. Nick’s tracking was as good as any I have seen and we soon found the dogs resting in a dry river bed. It was 11:30 AM and really, really hot. It felt like my eyeballs were melting!! Far too hot to even think about darting dogs and so we watched them for a short while before they moved on into thicker bush.

We came back in the afternoon and Nick tracked them down again while guiding us around a large bull elephant. He lost the tracks on hard ground and we searched around a little, before looking at a distant tree line and simultaneously saying “they must be over there.” Sure enough they were. The tree line marked another dry riverbed but the dogs had found a last remaining puddle of water in a bend in the river. It was muddy and smelly but particularly inviting as a way to cool down and avoid the annoying flies. We sat quietly on the bank of the river above them, not much more than 20 metres away. Ron was with us this time and we counted over and over again but could not come up with the same number of individuals in the pack. I had never seen so many dogs in one pack. I gave up counting so I could just enjoy sitting with them, watching them play happily together.

Elephants eventually disturbed the dogs and they reluctantly left their precious muddy puddle. We edged back to the vehicle as night fell, nervously avoiding the same elephant herds but so happy that we had found the pack.

At 4:00 AM the next day we set out again and in typical dog following tradition we could not find them. Completely frustrated we returned to camp at midday and did what we could to keep cool in the blistering heat. The offer of an afternoon on the river, swimming and generally taking it easy was so tempting but we stuck to our mission and went out again to bounce around in the Land Rover looking for mystical dogs. Nothing. But the rains finally came and relieved the oppressive heat.

4:00 AM again. Our last morning. We drove around with increased tension and saw impala running hard through the bush. Straining our eyes through binoculars we searched for the dogs but could not see anything and kept moving. Nick picked up what could have been the footprint of one dog. However because it was only one and not 20+ we moved on and turned down into the riverbed where they had been resting the two days prior. This time he stopped the car and leapt out quickly to confirm the footprints of at least 18 dogs walking through the deep sand. We raced around and finally caught up with them on an airstrip near to where we had seen the impala running. It was almost the perfect situation for darting dogs. Open ground, good shade trees nearby and water. However, the dogs were quite full. Normally we do not dart a dog when its stomach is full, however we were under some pressure and luckily we had a vet with us from the USA, who happened to be a guest at the camp. I decided it was worth the risk and we closed in on the alpha female.

The darting and collar fitting were all done quickly and efficiently and soon the alpha female, now named Tait, after Nick’s daughter, was back with her pack, wearing a GPS collar. We waited with them for another couple of hours and finally agreed that there were 23 dogs in the pack. Mana Pools is quite inaccessible during the rainy season and so the GPS collar will give us vital data on the pack’s movements during this period. We drove back to Harare, tired but very pleased that this first “mission” had been so successful.

Despite what I now consider to be the usual difficulties, it had been another successful year for PDC. Wilton and his team supervised more schools than ever before through our Children’s Bush Camp programme, including one from Zambia. Our anti poaching units have worked well with National parks and we have been encouraged by the sightings of new packs of dogs in Hwange National Park. “

By Peter Blinston, PDC’s Manager

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Dec
16

Mountain Gorilla Holiday Shopping

Posted by in Africa,community-based conservation,Conservation,Field Research,Gorilla

That’s right – you can give the Gift of Gorilla this holiday season through the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project’s Orphan Guardianship program.

MGVP’s Gorilla Doctors care for four critically endangered orphaned Mountain Gorilla patients; Ndakasi, Ndeze, Maisha, and Kaboko. You can directly support their vital on-going medical care  by becoming their Gorilla Orphan Guardian™.

Your Guardianship includes a unique downloadable photo certificate of your chosen gorilla to proudly display and enjoy on your computer’s desktop.

Go to http://www.gorilladoctors.org/orphan-guardianship.html for more information

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Dec
15

Houston Zoo’s Support of Great Ape Conservation

Posted by in Africa,Chimpanzee,Conservation,Endangered Species,Featured,Field Research,Gorilla,What You Can Do

Chimpanzee at Gombe, photo courtesy Terra Incognita Ecotours

Since 2004, the Houston Zoo Wildlife Conservation Program has supported Great Ape Conservation in Africa. From field research initiatives to community education and health programs, the Houston Zoo is proud of our commitment to the wildlife, and communities, of Africa. To learn more about our conservation efforts or help support these programs, please follow these links.
Art of Conservation: Rwanda
Working in poor rural communities surrounding Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, empowering and educating the local children about the importance of maintaining a healthy environment for people and animals.
Mbeli Bai Gorilla Program: Republic of Congo
Successfully combining conservation research with capacity building for the local communities.
Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Program
Dedicated veterinarians working tirelessly to ensure the health of Mountain Gorilla troops and support community health initiatives.
Jane Goodall Institute: Republic of Congo and Tanzania
Ensuring the survival of great apes through conservation and education.
Conservation of the West African Chimpanzee: Senegal
New research focusing on chimpanzee communities living in southeastern Senegal where impending habitat disturbance, degradation and destruction from mining activities and increasing human population threatens the country’s remaining ape population. 

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Dec
14

Zoos Unite to Save Endangered Apes Part 2

Posted by in Africa,Borneo,Chimpanzee,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research,Gorilla,orangutan

Yesterday we highlighted the Ape Conservation Initiative so today we would like to show you who the zoo association funds will support:

The following projects were funded by the Ape TAG Conservation Initiative with a total of $411,250:

1) Establishment of a National Chimpanzee Disease and Health Monitoring Programme based at Budongo Conservation Field Station, Uganda

2) The Bonobo and Congo Biodiversity Initiative: Preserving the bonobo (Pan paniscus) in the Salonga National Park through holistic conservation, Democratic Republic of Congo

3) Combating Illegal Wildlife Trade in Central Africa, The Last Great Ape Organization (LAGA); Cameroon

4) Protection and monitoring of Grauer’s gorillas, Gorilla beringei graueri, in the lowland sectors of Kahuzi Beiga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo

5) Assessing chances of survival of the orang-utan in man-made landscape: the future of the species? Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

6) Ketambe Reforestation and Ecotourism Development Initiative (KREDI), Orangutan Information Centre (OIC); Sumatra, Indonesia

7) Long-term ecological research and conservation of Cao Vit gibbon in China

8) Population mapping of gibbons Kalimantan, Indonesia: Correlates of gibbon density and vegetation across the species range, Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project and Wildlife Conservation Research Unit; Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo

In addition to the eight projects, a percentage of the funds are dedicated for ape sanctuaries in Africa and Asia.  Sanctuaries play an important role in ape conservation, particularly through their efforts in law enforcement and conservation education.

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Dec
13

Zoos Unite to Save Endangered Apes Part 1

Posted by in Africa,Chimpanzee,community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Featured,Field Research,Gorilla,orangutan

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Ape Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) today announced a critical new campaign to sustain a future for one of the planet’s most imperiled group of animals— apes.

For apes—bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, gibbons and siamangs—the outlook in the wild is bleak. Given catastrophic population declines, it is estimated that some ape species will be extinct within 20 years. The Ape TAG Conservation Initiative, supported by nearly 40 zoos, will fund 8 field conservation projects, one for each of the great ape species and two for gibbons and siamangs.

“As leaders in wildlife conservation, AZA-accredited zoos are dedicated to the protection of these intelligent and charismatic animals,” said Dr. Tara Stoinski, Ape TAG chair. “The Ape TAG Conservation Initiative will elevate the role of zoos in the international conservation community.”

The Arcus Foundation, a leading great ape conservation philanthropic organization, provided a generous matching grant to the funds c ontributed by zoos to the Initiative. Participating zoos have committed to a minimum of three years of support, which is critical for conservation projects to be effective in saving these species.

The 8 projects were selected by an international committee of Ape TAG and AZA members as well as outside ape conservation experts. The Initiative increases the number of zoos contributing to projects in the wild, strengthens support for community education and local law enforcement in countries with wild apes, and provides zoos with resources to demonstrate their commitment to saving apes.

“We are pleased that the AZA community is supporting field projects such as ours,” said Dr. Marc Ancrenaz, director of The Kinabatangan Orang-utan Conservation Program, and principle investigator of one of the projects awarded funds by the Initative. “The problems faced by wild populations of great apes are complex and because of this, zoos have an increasingly important role to play.”

For more on Houston Zoo’s efforts to protect Apes in Africa: http://www.houstonzoo.org/the-future-of-ape-conservation/

For more on Houston Zoo’s Bornean Orangutan project: http://www.houstonzoo.org/bornean-orangutan-conservation/

Dec
10

More gift ideas that save species

Posted by in Africa,community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Going Green,Painted Dog,What You Can Do

Did you know we have an area of the Zoo’s gift shop that is dedicated to benefiting wildlife conservation?  This means that we get to buy product made by local artisans connected to the wildlife conservation projects we support, and make it available to you in the gift shop, with all proceeds going back to these projects.  We carfully select projects that combine conservation research with capacity building for the local communities. This conservation commerce helps to create a sustainable local economy in rural villages that surround the endangered species habitats. 

 

 
 
Partners In Conservation consists of women from rural villages that surround gorilla habitat.  The products from this organization are hand-made by women from Rwanda, Africa.  They sew colorful stuffed rhinos, elephants, giraffes and turtles and fill them with recycled plastic bags.  The production of these animals helps to reduce the amount of plastic in the landfills and to create a sustainable local economy. 
 
Gisimba Memorial Association  is an orphanage located in Kigali City, Rwanda close to gorilla habitat.  GMC serves about 200 Rwandan children who have been orphaned due to the 1994 genocide, HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other tropical diseases, poverty and abandonment.  Production of this artwork provides much needed skills and financial security for the children of Gisimba.

 

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. 
Only 700 mountain gorillas remain in the world today.  Survival of this species greatly depends on the well being of the people who live nearby in Rwanda, Uganda & DR Congo.  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.
 

Snare wire art

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. PDC has developed three highly trained anti-poaching units in an effort to control this threat.  Since the first of these units was deployed in August 2001, they have collected well over 10,000 snares. Had the snares gone untouched, it would mean approximately one thousand animals killed.  The wire collected by the anti-poaching units is sent to PDC’s Iganyana arts center, where local artisans from rual villages use it to create beautiful intricate art.  Production of this artwork provides skills and financial security for the artists.  In addition, the program provides an opportunity for conservation education on sustainable use of resources and reuse of materials.

Animals hand-made by women in Rwanda

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Dec
09

Save Species by doing Some Smart Christmas Shopping

Posted by in Going Green,What You Can Do

Think about the environment this Christmas.  I thought I would share a few green gift ideas.

It is always great to use refurbished electronics. You can get refurbished electronics for a steal (they often sell for less than 50 percent of the retail price!), and before they’re resold to the public, they go through an intense defect-testing process and the warranties usually remain intact. So you can save money and help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. Shop at www.dyscern.com and www.refurbdepot.com.
Use kitchenware products made of recycled materials. Preserve uses items such as recycled Brita pitcher filters and empty yogurt containers to make their line of colorful kitchen gear. Since they’re about the same price as regular kitchenware, it’s a no-brainer to choose Preserve products. Visit preserveproducts.com to find a retailer near you.

 

 

 

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