Jul
03
Conservation Icons

I was looking up icons the other day and the first definition I stumbled across was ‘a religious work of art”. This concerned me greatly because I think I called Jane Goodall a conservation icon once and I hope she did not think I was comparing her to an oil painting. That would not bode well for our next visit.

Jane Goodall visiting the Houston Zoo in 2010

Then I found what I was looking for: “Somebody or something widely and uncritically admired”. Perfect. Although I was not necessarily looking for a someone. Jane Goodall is iconic in the field of wildlife conservation there is no doubt and there are many of us that admire the likes of David Attenborough and many others but I have been thinking over the past week that maybe the world’s most famous Giant Tortoise fits the definition.

Lonesome George

People are drawn to stories and  personalities and sometimes, those wildlife personalities take on a following all their own. Dian Fossey worked with Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda, it was Digit we most remembered. Jane Goodall? It is David Greybeard. Galapagos Tortioise – it is definately Lonesome George. So what are we missing in conservation when we fail to give an individual animal a name (thus anthropomorphising them) and making them the “face” of their species? Anthropomorphising of course is attributing human charecteristcs or behavior to an animal. We are always wary of attributing human behavior or likeness to an animal and although giving them a familiar name is not the same, it is unfortunately sometimes lumped together. I have never had a pet dog or cat (or rodent) by the way that did not have a name and I am sure most of these were not human.

So if I want to tell a story about wildlife, make you want to follow that species, then why not let you identify with an individual that you could have an emotional attachment to and in turn care more about and want to act on it’s behalf? Many Houston Zoo animals have names. Our members know Jonathan the Lion, Baylor the Elephant, Smaug the Komodo Dragon. And they are all fan favorites.

Houston Zoo's very own Jonathan the Lion

These animals make people care. Wildlife outside our doors do not have a chance if we do not care. It is just that simple. This past weekend’s Okapi Crisis Relief event at the zoo, which unfortunately came about due to the terrible tragedy in the Democratic Republic of Congo, showed how much people cared. One email went out and members showed up on a drizzly 90degree+ day to say thank you to us for helping Okapi’s. Many came out simply for that reason and then went home to go shopping or to a movie but they cared enough to drive out here and spend a few minutes us.

When I was in Mozambique I finally got to meet (from 30+ yards away thankfully) Lions whose names I had heard the conservation staff at the Niassa Lion Project talk about and I was deeply saddened when we found mom Akomwana with her cub Akeela because I knew there were three cubs just a few months ago. And I cared when that mom and last cub walked away into the brush because I now worry I will not get to see them again in the future, as their, as with many other individuals and even species,  future is in jeopardy. I cared enough to become attached, and in doing so, will try to do more to help them.

Lion cub Akeela, Niassa Lion Project, Mozambique

I read a post about Lonesome Geoge that caught my attention on the Galapagos Conservancy website: The plight of Lonesome George and his species has catalyzed so much research in species recovery.  Lonesome George’s message ultimately must be a message of hope and of resolve.  We cannot and will not lose another species in Galapagos.  Our efforts will be directed at species enhancement, recovery, and restoration. What we do, we do for him and for all the creatures that inhabit this extraordinary place. This is an amazing statement, so much so that I borrowed their photo of Lonesome George (above), an individual whose story will be told for generations and for which many positive steps towards conservation of his islands will be made.

We will find ways to protect lions, gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants, tortoise, species in our backyard and everything in between but it will not be possible without everyone wanting to hear their stories and care for them on an individual level. Their messages are of hope and resolve, but they need our help to make a difference.

 

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