Archive for the ‘Conservation’ Category

May
16

Zack Morris is calling…and he wants his phone back.

Posted by in Africa,Conservation,Endangered Species,Gorilla,What You Can Do

If you had the privilege of growing up in the days of Saved by the Bell and other memorable TV shows of the 1990′s then you know exactly what I mean by a “Zack Morris Phone”.

Zack Morris and his 1990′s cell phone. Photo courtesy of zomm.com.

And whether you can believe it or not, some people still have these phones tucked away in their closets, shoe boxes, garages, you name it…we know they are out there. Although we understand that you like hanging onto your Zack Morris phones and other old, discarded cell phones, we think that you may just love gorillas and chimpanzees more. For that reason, you should bring your old phone to the Zoo this Saturday, May 18th and recycle it at the main entrance to receive a discounted admission ticket to enter the Zoo that day!

I never thought I would be writing a blog about the conservation of gorillas and chimpanzees and be able to mention Zack Morris, but somehow I did it…and it kind of makes sense.

 

Old Zack Morris Phone + Recycling at the Zoo this Saturday, May 18th (9am-3pm)= Discounted Zoo admission AND helping to save animals in Central and West Africa like chimps and gorillas who suffer from the mining of materials which are in our cell phones.

 

 

By recycling your cell phone this Saturday, May 18th at the Zoo you not only spare a few dollars on your admission into the Zoo to celebrate Endangered Species Day (hey-you could use those extra few bucks to buy yourself a few seasons of Saved by the Bell on DVD…I checked…Amazon has them for $2.03), you also help animals like gorillas and chimps who live in areas of Africa where materials for your cell phone are mined.

Recycled phones! Bring yours to the Zoo on Saturday, May 18th from 9am-3pm and receive a discounted ticket to the Zoo!

By recycling cell phones we lower the number of materials that are taken from gorilla and chimpanzee habitat, which directly helps protect endangered species!

Event in a nutshell:

What: Endangered Species Day-bring your old cell phone to be recycled and receive a discounted admission ticket to the Zoo. One discounted ticket per every phone recycled.

Where: Houston Zoo-Cell phone recycling table in front of main entrance.

Who: Everyone!

When: Saturday, May 18th from 9am-3pm

Why: To save endangered species like gorillas and chimpanzees by recycling cell phones!

 

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May
15

The Houston Zoo is releasing more toads!

Posted by in amphibians,Conservation,Endangered Species,Sending animals back to the wild,Series,Texas

The Houston Zoo has released over 20,000 Houston toads into the wild since we began our reintroduction program in 2007.   We are determined to protect the Houston Toad from extinction!

Four Houston toad egg strands (~12,000+ eggs) that were produced here at the Houston Zoo were released by Texas State this week.

 

Houston toad egg strands

Three of the strands are going to a private landowner and one strand will be headed to the state park. Each egg strand is being placed into a special wire cage to protect the eggs from predation.

Check back for more on how the Houston Zoo helps save animals in the wild! 

For more about this program and to find out how you can help click here .

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May
08

Attwater’s prairie chickens are increasing in numbers at the Houston Zoo

Posted by in Attwater's Prairie Chicken,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research,Sending animals back to the wild,Series,Texas

Houston Zoo incubators full of Attwater’s prairie chicken eggs

The incubators at the Houston Zoo are full of Attwater’s prairie chicken eggs collected and carefully transported from our facility at the Johnson Space Center. 

The chick nursery is full of peeping Attwater’s chicks!  The first group of the oldest chicks are already old enough to move to their outside accommodations.  They are growing up before our eyes!

 In a few months time all of these chicks will be out in the wild again!

Stay tuned for more on how the Houston Zoo is saving animals in the wild!

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May
08

Hundreds of Houston Zoo Houston toads go back to the wild

Posted by in amphibians,community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research,Sending animals back to the wild,Series,Texas

Toads on their way to the wild!

We have great news to share with you from the Houston toad program! Last month we successfully transferred 634 adult toads to our collaborators at Texas State University. Texas State kept the toads in a large, outdoor holding area for a few days to re-acclimate to natural conditions, then over the course of a week, they were released at a pond at Bastrop State Park.

Hooray! We are in the wild! We will save our species!

We are at the tail-end of Houston toad breeding season, so hopefully these individuals will have an opportunity to “do their thing” at the pond!

Stay tuned for more updates on our efforts to save local species from extinction!

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May
07

Action for Apes Challenge!

Posted by in Africa,Conservation,Endangered Species,What You Can Do

This April, the Houston Zoo launched the first ever cell phone donation campaign with local schools. The program is called the “Action for Apes Challenge” and helps to save apes like gorillas and chimpanzees in Africa (among other wildlife) by recycling cell phones.

Recycling your cell phones can be an important conservation action to take-it helps wildlife and people in Africa as well as keeps our local Texas landfills/water/soil clean and free of electronic waste. There is a mineral called coltan in all of our cell phones (and laptops, cameras, etc.) and it is mined in central Africa-a lush rainforest habitat for gorillas, chimpanzees, okapis, elephants, and so many more species! Each time a new cell phone is created, more coltan needs to be taken from the land. If we recycle our old cell phones, we can keep some of the minerals like coltan in use, and we will not need to take as much from the Earth. We can also help by using our phones for as long as possible before getting a new version!

4 local schools participated in our first ever Action for Apes Challenge-not only did they spread the word about coltan in their schools and gather cell phones, many of them also participated in an educational and promotional video about the challenge, held right here at the zoo-in front of our chimpanzee exhibit! Check out the video here: Action for Apes Challenge at the Houston Zoo

This year’s winning school is Grady Rasco Middle School  in Lake Jackson, TX! They donated 146 phones in one month which will be recycled and directly help apes in the wild! We are so lucky to have such wonderful, motivated students in the greater Houston area. Grady Rasco Middle School will receive a one-of-a-kind painting done by our chimpanzees to hang up in their school as a thank you for their hard work!

Our 2nd place school was Westchester Academy-they brought in over 100 phones! 3rd place went to St. Stephen’s Episcopal School. All schools that participated did a wonderful job and certainly made a difference for wildlife.

If your school, organization, or company would like to participate in our next Action for Apes Challenge, please email conservation@houstonzoo.org. For more information about recycling your cell phone at the zoo, please visit our website.

The Houston Zoo chimpanzees say THANK YOU for helping to save their wild cousins through the Action for Apes Challenge!

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May
02

5 sea turtles in the Houston Zoo vet clinic for treatment this week!

Posted by in community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research,Sea Turtles,Sending animals back to the wild,Series,Texas,Travel

Tuesday morning 1 Green and 4 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles were brought into the Houston Zoo’s vet clinic this week.  The 4 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles were found stranded on the Texas coast and brought in to have physical examinations by our clinic staff. 

This was the second visit for the one Green sea turtle.  He was found in a fresh water pond last year and has been rehabilitating at NOAA’s  Sea Turtle barn in Galveston.  All the turtles were returned to the Sea Turtle Barn in Galveston after their check ups and will be released into the wild when they have fully recovered.

If you would like to help us save sea turtles click here.

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Apr
30

Turtle Tuesday: Conservation Hero Edition

Posted by in Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research,Sea Turtles,Texas,Texas Tortugas

The Houston Zoo just returned from another Monday assisting federal sea turtle biologists from NOAA Galveston with their weekly beach patrols. Unfortunately, this has been a tough time for local sea turtle conservationists. Numerous deceased turtles have been washing ashore for the past several weeks, and more keep coming in. The numbers of turtles washing in are not typical. They have included mostly Kemp’s ridley sea turtles and loggerheads.

Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. Photo courtesy of National Park Service.

 

Loggerhead sea turtle. Photo courtesy of the Georgia Aquarium.

In addition to this, there has yet to be a nesting Kemp’s ridley turtle on our upper Texas coast.  Nesting sea turtles usually arrive in our area by mid-April. With the month of May right on our tails, we’re all wondering-where are our nesting sea turtles?

Even though there aren’t any nesting sea turtles (yet…),  sea turtle biologists are keeping busy…VERY busy, and not with the easiest of tasks.

Meet Lyndsey Howell.

Lyndsey Howell-NOAA sea turtle biologist holding a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. Photo courtesy of Crystal Beach Local News.

Lyndsey is a federal biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Galveston. Lyndsey has been working with sea turtles for 8 years, and working at NOAA for 5 years. The word dedicated does not even begin to describe her work ethic when it comes to sea turtles. Lyndsey is responsible for holding the phone that you call if you see a dead, injured, or stranded turtle on our upper Texas coast beaches (1-866-TURTLE-5), as well as caring for wild and captive sea turtles at the Galveston sea turtle barn. She is also responsible for answering that phone-no matter what time or day it is, and responding to the turtle as soon as possible. Whether it is 2:00am on a Saturday or 11:00pm on a Tuesday-7 days a week, 24 hours a day, Lyndsey is there to help a sea turtle in need. A turtle could be called in from Surfside and the next one along the Texas/Louisiana border-in the same day! No matter the distance, the turtle will be picked up and taken care of. She will even take time out of an already long day, roll the windows down in her vehicle and answer questions about sea turtles from beach goers, say hello to ferry workers and tollbooth employees, all while maintaining a smile.

Lyndsey rescuing another car stuck in the sand during a beach survey-just another day on the job!

From April through July, sea turtles keep biologists in Texas very busy. This means long, long hours (our day yesterday lasted 14 hours), and not a lot of days off. The passion and drive that wildlife biologists/conservationists/researchers (call them what you may) have is unlike any other field. They work endless hours, often times without praise or breaks, and usually for very little pay. They do this job because they love it, and they know it is important.

Time in the field often requires a lot of caffeine. Image from Ecogreenbags.

Unfortunate events, like the loss of many sea turtles over the past few weeks can make it difficult to work in wildlife conservation. However, having the pleasure of knowing people like Lyndsey and other biologists and conservationists around the world reinforce the idea that environmental issues can be overcome.

If you would like to help with local sea turtle conservation efforts, please visit the Houston Zoo’s sea turtle page, or come to the zoo to see our rehabbed sea turtle in the Kipp Aquarium!

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Apr
30

The Houston Zoo is Sending Animals Back to the Wild!

Posted by in amphibians,Attwater's Prairie Chicken,Birds,community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research,Sea Turtles,Sending animals back to the wild,Series,Texas

The Houston Zoo cares deeply for Texas wildlife.   We are committed to ensuring the recovery and protection of local species and habitats.  We take great pride in our efforts to rehabilitate/assist wild animals and reintroduce zoo-born animals to the wild.   This blog series will keep you up-to-date on our 3 local recovery projects:

The Attwater’s prairie chicken is the rarest native Texas bird. It is estimated that less than 100 of these birds are left in the wild.   The Houston Zoo manages the captive breeding programs for the Attwater’s prairie chicken.  We have breeding facilities both behind the scenes at the Zoo and at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.  When the birds hatch and grow large enough, they are slowly introduced and then released into the wild, where they will support the already existing populations.

There are 5 species of sea turtles inhabiting the Gulf of Mexico, all of which are considered to be either threatened or endangered. They include the Kemp’s ridley, Green, Leatherback, Atlantic hawksbill, and Loggerhead sea turtles. Some of the threats these sea turtles face in the Gulf are drowning in shrimp nets, getting caught in hook and line, vehicle traffic, development of beaches, ocean and light pollution.  The Houston Zoo has treated over 100 sea turtles since 2010 in our vet clinic. The turtles are then brought to the sea turtle barn in Galveston to prepare for reintroduction. You may also catch a glimpse of a recovering sea turtle at the Zoo in the Kipp Aquarium.

The Houston Toad disappeared from Houston in the 1960s following extensive drought and urban expansion.  Today, less than 100 of this Texas amphibian resides in Bastrop, Austin, and Colorado Counties.

Th Houston toad program began in 2007 when the only known egg strands laid by Houston toads that year were delivered to the Zoo for “head starting” – a way to start the toad’s life in captivity and release them when they reach a certain maturity. Since then, we have been building a population at the Zoo to be sure that the toads will not go extinct, as well as releasing toads into the wild to build the population there. So far, we have released more than 20,000 toads! We also monitor and survey existing populations of toads in the wild.

 Stay tuned this spring as we update you on these local efforts to put species back into their homes in the Texas wild!

 

Apr
26

A penny saved is a penny earned to save lions!

Posted by in Africa,community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research,Texas,Travel

If you’ve ever had any doubts about the old saying that a penny saved is a penny earned, spend just a few minutes with Lamar Consolidated ISD kindergarten teacher Sharon Baldwin.  The Velasquez Elementary school teacher and her kindergarten class know all about the power of spare change.

On Wednesday, April 17 Ms. Baldwin and her dedicated kindergarten students visited the Houston Zoo to present a check for $1,000 dollars to the Houston Zoo’s Conservation Department, the school’s latest contribution to Cash for Cats, a big cat conservation project. 

 “This year, Velazquez Elementary School students were asked to bring in spare change over a two week period,” said Baldwin.  “My kindergarten class raised the most for this year’s Cash for Cats project and was invited by the Zoo to enjoy a VIP Lion Fun Day celebration,” she added.

 

 

 

The winning Velasquez Elementary School kindergarten students’ got to experience Lion Fun Day crafts and games modeled after Lion Fun Day activities for children in Mozambique.

 

 

 

The kids enjoyed participating in a ‘mango-in-a-spoon’(in Houston we had to use a Cutie orange) race.   The kids in Mozambique were overjoyed with the gift of the spoon for completing the race.  The kids in Houston had no interest in another spoon, but enjoyed the other prizes we provided.

 

 

 

 

The kids in both countries loved making and keeping the beaded necklaces they created!

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

And, the kids from both countries love to be creative and get messy finger painting  murals!

The Childern in Mozambique occational glimse lions in the wild, but the Velasquez Elementary School kindergarten students’ got a special experience that is not avaiable to the childern in Mozambique.   They got to gather at the Zoo’s Lion Training Window for a fun and educational Meet the Keeper Talk with lion keepers and a ‘meet and greet’ with the Zoo’s 4 African lions.

Created by Velazquez Elementary School music teacher Donna Fletcher, Cash for Cats has raised $6,000 dollars for the conservation of wild cats. Over the last two years, proceeds from the fund raiser have benefited the Niassa Lion Project. 

The Niassa Lion Project serves to secure and conserve lions and other large carnivores in the Niassa National Reserve in northern Mozambique by promoting the coexistence between carnivores and people and directly mitigating threats.  For more information about the Houston Zoo’s Lion Conservation Campaign and how you can help save lions in the wild, visit the Zoo online at http://www.houstonzoo.org/lionssp/.

By Brian Hill, Houston Zoo’s Director of Public Affairs

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Apr
24

Carolyn Jess Talks Earth Day & Arbor Day

Posted by in Conservation,Guest Blogger

We have invited Carolyn Jess back to help us out as guest blogger in 2013 with a focus on native wildlife. Jess is a 12 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. If you would like to contact Carolyn or have comments, you may send them to conservation@houstonzoo.org.

Happy Earth and Arbor Day!  As you think of ideas to help our environment and conserve resources, here is another way to help that you may not have thought of:  Action for Apes Challenge.  Several Houston Area schools and organizations are taking part in this great service learning program by encouraging their friends and family to recycle used cell phones.  It’s important to recycle your used cell phones because they contain a mineral called coltan.  Coltan is destructively mined in the African Congo where the chimpanzees and gorilla habitats are.  If we can recycle used cell phones, cameras, and laptop computers, less of the mineral is needed from this important wildlife area.  More coltan recycled means less mining of coltan in the Congo.

You can also help by keeping your cell phone for as long as possible or even buying a refurbished phone.  If you would like to recycle your old cell phones, the Houston Zoo or area schools competing in the challenge will take them.  The school that has the most cell phones collected wins a great prize!  It is a hand painted picture by the Houston Zoo’s chimps.  Really though, everyone comes out a winner.  When we can make people aware of the need to recycle, the real challenge has been met.  You can make a difference to the chimps and gorillas in the Congo.  Recycle your old phones today.

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