Archive for the ‘What You Can Do’ Category

Jan
26

5% Day Gives Back to Local Species

Posted by in Conservation,Endangered Species,Sea Turtles,Texas,What You Can Do

As some of our blog readers and Facebook followers know, we braved the high winds on Wednesday, December 19th 2012 to provide information on the Zoo’s conservation efforts at the Whole Foods location on Bellaire Blvd. Thanks to Whole Foods, the Zoo was chosen as the recipient of 5% of their entire day’s profits! We were so happy to be chosen, and even happier to report that the final 5% total came in at just over $5,000! We can’t say THANK YOU enough to Whole Foods for supporting our efforts to save Texas species.

We had a great turnout at the event with live animals from the ZooMobile program, biofacts and information on local sea turtle conservation, and staff members from several departments providing information on all the Zoo has to offer! We chose to highlight sea turtle conservation at this event because Whole Foods is a wonderful advocate of using less plastic (as you can see by their lack of plastic bags at the checkout line!). We saw so many people entering the store carrying their reusable canvas bags, and they didn’t even know that such a small action was helping to save one of our most endangered local species. By reducing our use of plastic (from water bottles to plastic grocery bags and even dry cleaning bags!) we play an important role in saving wildlife.

An amazing sea turtle informational banner created by the Houston Zoo’s graphics team for use at the Whole Foods Day of Giving!

Bravo and thank you to everyone who chose to shop at Whole Foods on that day in December and to those of you that remember your canvas bags on trips to the grocery store, as you are all part of saving sea turtles on the Texas coast. We are so thankful to have the support of organizations like Whole Foods and we hope to see you all out at another 5% day of community giving! To learn more about the Zoo and our conservation efforts please visit our website.

These sea turtles say thank you for helping Texas conservation efforts! Photo courtesy of National Geographic.

 

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Jan
24

Jack Hanna – Live in Houston this Friday

Posted by in Africa,community-based conservation,Field Research,Gorilla,What You Can Do

Are you and your family ready to take an adventure through the eyes of Jack Hanna? On Friday, January 25 at 7:00 pm, Jack Hanna will be at the Bayou Music Center as Into the Wild-Live! provides insight into the world of conservation and protecting endangered species while having some fun along the way!  Houston Zoo members can purchase 4 tickets for the price of 3 and $2.00 of each ticket sold will be donated to the Gorilla Doctors-Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project. Just use the code ‘GORILLA’ at the end of your ticket purchase.

Buy Your Tickets Here through Live Nation

The Houston Zoo will be on hand in the vendor area helping to raise money for the Gorilla Doctors project. We will have gorilla carvings from Rwanda and Gorilla Doctors t-shirts for sale. If you cannot make it out the event, you can still get your t-shirt here in support of the project.

Gorilla Doctors: Saving a Species One Gorilla at a Time The Gorilla Doctors are dedicated to saving the lives of critically-endangered mountain and Grauer’s gorillas through health care. Our international team of veterinarians is the only group providing these animals with direct, hands-on care in the wild.

With approximately 800 mountain gorillas left in the world today, it is critical to ensure the health and well-being of every individual gorilla. The distribution of gorillas includes the Virunga Volcanoes Massif, which spans Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, DR Congo’s Virunga National Park, Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park, and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.

Gorilla Doctors also focus on human health in one of the most densely populated regions in Africa. Recognizing that the health of the gorillas is inextricably linked to that of the entire ecosystem, in addition to providing life-saving care, our veterinary team further protects gorillas by supporting health programs for people and their animals living and working in and around gorilla habitat.

So come on out Friday night January 25th – you never know what Jack Hanna might have planned for the evening and you will be supporting gorilla conservation.

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Jan
22

Guest blogger: Sandy Bumpus, reports on her trip with the Houston Zoo to see Polar bears

Posted by in Carnivores,Conservation,Endangered Species,Travel,What You Can Do

My trip to Churchill, Manitoba, Canada with the Houston Zoo was wonderful.  We had two days in Winnipeg, then three days on the tundra, with only twelve of us in each of two tundra buggies.  On our excursions we saw five polar bears, arctic fox, snowy owls, ptarmigan, arctic hares and sundry other wildlife which was a wonderful count for one of these tours. 

Success always depends on the weather, the time of year, as well as the animals and it all seemed to work in our favour.  With no snow, the animals whose coats had already turned white were far easier to spot and a group of bears had taken up an area easily accessible by the vehicles while they waited for the ice to form.  The scenery was phenomenal and I hadn’t realized how colourful it would be with the lichen in its fall colours on the rocks and therocks themselves in different muted colours showing above the ground. 

 The buggies travel over all terrain and through shallow, very broad ponds to get to the vantage points so we had some really interesting rides and the Natural Habitat driver and guide were both excellent.  There was a large viewing platform with a telescope outside the vehicle to watch and photograph the bears “boxing” with each other or wandering around the buggy and sometimes under the open viewing floor mesh.

 

Our accommodation was very comfortable with pleasant people always ready to assist us and excellent food especially brought in with good chefs to prepare it.  One of the experiences that stands out in my mind was the talk given by Myrtle de Meulles about her life as the daughter of a native Metis trapper living off the land.  Sharing the area with these large predators which we’d come to see had certainly been a major factor in her life.  Then, the dogsled ride on the last day truly gave us a great finish to a very enjoyable experience.

For more details and information on how to book the next trip to see Polar bears in Chruchill, November 4-9, 2013  click here.

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Jan
21

Awareness Leads to Action: Reduce, Recycle, Reduce Some More

Posted by in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,community-based conservation,Endangered Species,Going Green,Sea Turtles,Texas,Uncategorized,What You Can Do

Here is a simple fact: If you tell me to do something, I am more than likely not going to do it, even if I wanted to before you told me to. It is not that I am stubborn (I am but will not admit it) but we are constantly bombarded with messages about what we should do. What to buy, what to eat, which mattress to purchase, which car to drive, not to make your chicken wear pants. The list goes on and on.

So, I am not going to tell you what to do (that is an outright lie, you have been warned) but we do want you to see that being Aware leads to Action, good actions that we can do everyday and in doing so, can make a world of difference no matter how small.

Fisherman and Fisherwomen! Please do not cut your fishing line when you get hooked and leave it to float in the ocean because at some point – this will absolutely happen and not only to turtles but to dolphins and birds as well:

Sea Turtle trapped in abandoned monofilament line and debris in Galveston

Instead, look for monofilament recycling bins on the jetties or at least take it home and dispose of properly. More Awareness = More Action.

I am not sure in my lifetime the reduction of plastic waste will ever occur but do you really need to get all your water from these 12 once bottles which are also made from petroleum and do not break down in the landfills? We hope you will at least recycle every bottle you use. We understand it is inevitable in todays society to use plastics but we can all make a small difference by reducing our use of plastic bottles. Our Sea Lions can do it – so can you. More Awareness = More Action.

We all know Styrofoam is bad for the environment but I am not going to tell you it is because then you will think it is not. But someone just told me that it is hazardous for wildlife and even bad for humans so it must be true. Styrene,  which is what Styrofoam is made from, is a known carcinogenic and is made from petroleum – enjoy that Milkshake or cup of coffee! How easy is it to not use Styrofoam? Ridiculously easy, just reach for something else at the store and only go to restaurants, diners, drive-throughs that no longer use Styrofoam cups for your drinks. Did I mention it does not break down in the landfill – ever, and at some point ends up in our waterways? Styrofoam products are the number one source of Marine Debris. More Awareness = More Action.

Each year Americans throw away 25,000,000,000 ‘Styrofoam’ cups. That is equal to how many times I am told to do something, and I ignore it. Do not even think about ignoring me on this one.

I know you are hit with a million messages a day, and at least 12 texts, and you cannot absorb all of them, but we all know right from wrong. I do not want to sound like I am telling you what to do or making an issue bigger than it really is. That is actually the job of the Drama Llama.

We are just asking that you help us pay a little more attention to the products we all use and the waste we are leaving behind as it affects our communities and our wildlife. If you recall I noted earlier I would not be telling you what to do. I lied – I am telling you not to leave your Guinea Pig outside without sunblock no matter how cool he looks in sunglasses. More Awareness = Healthy Guinea Pigs.

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Jan
10

Backyard Wildlife

Posted by in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Birds,Texas,What You Can Do

Backyard Wildlife. We have blogged and blogged about what you can do to attract birds, bees, and butterflies to your back yard no matter how small. I live in a single family home subdivision – our backyard is small enough to take in with a blink of your eye but over the years everything from hummingbirds to bees, a dog dressed up like a taxi cab, toads and a weird burrowing snake has come through.

But it is not often you hear of front yard wildlife and I am sure it is against homeowners association rules to have animals that do not conform to their guidelines, including the one about grass not to exceed 2.3″ above sea level during a drought. So it was quite a surprise the other day when I looked up to see this perched not in our front yard but what can best be describes as a very small alcove 10 feet above our front door. Remember, I do not live on a big piece of property but in a community subdivision surrounded by other houses with cats, dogs (some dressed in their finest winter gear) and that weird burrowing snake thing.

American Kestrel or Comcast cable repair bird? You decide.

About once or twice a year we see American Kestrels hanging out on the electrical wires near our local detention pond but this is the first time I had one staring down at me every time I walk in and out our door. When you say Wildlife – most people think Lions, Gorillas, Deer, Shark – but people forget we are surrounded by wildlife every day. Yes some of them sting but I told you not to grab bees so that is your own fault. And we do not live far outside Houston – 20 miles south down 288 actually. Our little detention pond is a haven for all types of migratory birds, including Pelicans which surprise me a bit given we are an hour north of Galveston Bay.

This detention pond is literally a birding hotspot. Kingfisher, Black necked Stilt, Ibis, Egret, Cormorant, Osprey, Caracara, Black Vulture, Whistling Duck and a few other ducks I am not very good at identifying, herons, roseate spoonbill and a few others. All within 20 yards of the community. Oh, don’t worry, people are managing to cut down trees adjacent to the pond and build just like everywhere else. If nothing else, humans are good at turning every inch of open land into a concrete parking lot and building. But yet these birds still show up ever year. And for the past two years, these have showed up to nest – successfully raising one chick in 2011:

So whether you have a backyard, front yard, or cable wire over your door – wildlife will find it if you set it aside for them and give them just enough space to feel comfortable. We will be giving tours of our front door every tuesday and thursday between the hours of 4pm and 5pm if you would like to view wildlife and I am only charging $3.00 per tour.

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Dec
26

The Year in Blogs

Posted by in Africa,amphibians,Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Attwater's Prairie Chicken,Borneo,Bumblebees,Carnivores,Chimpanzee,community-based conservation,Conservation,Elephant,Featured,Field Research,Going Green,Gorilla,orangutan,Painted Dog,Panama,Rhino,Sea Turtles,Texas,What You Can Do

I do not even know where to start to make sense of some of our blog posts in 2012, all written to try and bring your attention to both the successes and issues facing our environment. I really have no idea what may or may not have caught your attention. No matter how often our IT and web team send me graphs and charts showing reader algorithms, viral feeds (unrelated to a blog on emerging infectious diseases), hits and views – it is beyond my grasp of the new world we live in. Remember, I have a smart phone and do recall saying it was making us all a little dumber, me especially.

So a quick look back at MacGyver, Cheddar Bacon and Peppermint Shakes, Chicken Pants and the fact that  Groundhogs are not the Nostradamus of the rodent world as they can barely remember which drawer they left their pants in, let alone predict the changing of the seasons.

These were all very important topics, near and dear to my heart from pollinators to climate change and even Chicken Pants which I have no idea what I was thinking of at the time that spurred that thought process. But the point is simply this – the world is a messy place, our role in the zoo is to focus on wildlife and so most of what you see and read here is about the environment and the people who work tirelessly to protect wildlife and their habitats around the clock.

We can do more to help our partners and the environment and it is so simple it hurts my head to think about it.

Have 30 seconds to spare? Try this: Recycle a cell phone – protect wildlife in Africa. Lets make this a friendly disease called the Responsible Consumer Syndrome. You can catch this syndrome by also understanding where the Palm Oil in your products originates – and protect Orangutans in Southeast Asia

The great plastic debate? Not really a debate – we are addicted to plastic shopping bags and water bottles. Do you think Krogers, Randalls, HEB and others realizes how much money they could save by not providing its customers millions of plastic bags every year which in turn would protect the environment and wildlife? Probably equal to the economy of a small country. Interesting someone thought enough of the water bottle issue to ban them from Grand Canyon National Park – I guess they think it is prettier than the other parks since it is the only one that bans plastic water bottles.

Who would have thought the National Park System would be following the lead of these countries  (mild disclaimer – these countries have banned plastic bags but they still drink water): Papua New Guinea, Germany, Kenya, South Korea, Belgium, Sweden, Bhutan, Botswana and a handful of others. You may recall I ranted about this on my  bestselling blog Doggie Doo’s and Doggie Dont’s (another disclaimer, my blogs are not for sale but I found a quarter after posting that one).

So for 2013 – we can do better. Smartphones and Smart tablets can inform us but cannot lead us to action – that is a human trait that we need to figure out how to enhance if we are going to continue to protect the worlds wildlife in the face of growing human populations and habitat loss. We have to care more to do more.

One thing I really do not care to learn more about is Poutine which my Canadian colleague tried to poison me with this year. I like my french fries with ketchup thank you, not brown gravy and curd cheese. But what we want you to learn more about are all are wonderful partners which can be found on our website or at a few of the links below:

Niassa Lion Project Mozambique, Cheetah Conservation Botswana, Hutan-Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation, Danau Girang Elephant Conservation, Painted Dog Conservation Zimbabwe, Gorilla Doctors, Education for Nature Vietnam, Faleme Chimpanzee Conservation Senegal, Coastal Prairie Partnership, Lowland Tapir Project Brazil, El Valle Amphibian Conservation Panama, Jane Goodall Institute, International Rhino Foundation, Art of Conservation Rwanda, NOAA’s Sea Turtle Program, USFWS, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas State University, National Marine Fisheries Service, Human Wildlife Conflict Collaboration, Terra Incognita Ecotours, Wildlife Conservation Network, Galapagos Tortoise Program, Natural Habitat Adventures, and a Thank You to all of our zoo staff, zoo members and supporters including Land Rover UAE, Anadarko, Chevron, numerous private foundations, individuals and followers.

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Dec
13

5% Day of Giving at Whole Foods-Bellaire Location

Posted by in Conservation,Endangered Species,Featured,Sea Turtles,Texas,What You Can Do

Conservation=Collaboration. Thankfully, we have some wonderful Houston organizations like Whole Foods who see the importance in working together towards conservation. Thanks to Whole Foods-the Bellaire Location, the Houston Zoo will be the proud recipient of their 5% day of community giving on Wednesday, December 19th. This means that five percent of that day’s net sales are donated to the Houston Zoo in support of our conservation programs.

Whole Foods and conservation go hand in hand. Because of their 2008 initiative to get rid of plastic bags at checkout it’s only natural that we focus on the conservation of local Texas species, like sea turtles, while promoting the 5% day. Plastic bags are a huge issue for our local species-birds, sea turtles, dolphins-they’re all affected! So, when you come to Whole Foods in Bellaire on December 19th, don’t forget to bring your reusable canvas bags! You can also purchase some wonderful reusable bags at the store if you forget.

Surely you will need some groceries to prep for the upcoming holidays, and why not shop on a day when the proceeds will benefit wildlife? If you’re not in need of groceries, stop by between 5 and 7pm and grab a drink or snack at the bar during their happy hour! We will be at the store all day with various touchable animals, information on our conservation programs, biological artifacts, conservation items to take home and more! We hope to see you there on December 19th!

Who: Whole Foods & The Houston Zoo

What: Whole Foods 5% day of giving in support of the Houston Zoo’s conservation programs!

When: Wednesday, December 19th-ALL DAY!

Where: 4004 Bellaire Blvd

Houston, Texas 77025

Why: Buy your holiday groceries & gifts while supporting the Houston Zoo’s work to save species all around the globe!

 

Nov
14

Of Monarch Butterflies and MacGyver

Posted by in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Texas,What You Can Do

Before it gets confusing, a bit of background:

MacGyver was a TV series from 1985-1992 in which the star of the show – MacGyver – was an undercover agent who was able to make use of any mundane materials around him to create unorthodox solutions to any problem he faces. The enemies of world peace and justice continually learn that underestimating this man is a fatal mistake for their plans.

Monarch Butterflies on the other hand are the most famous of our local butterflies and make a 3-4 generation yearly migration. In North America, they make massive southward migrations starting in August until the first frost. A northward migration takes place in the spring. The monarch is the only butterfly that migrates both north and south as the birds do on a regular basis, but no single individual makes the entire round trip. Female monarchs deposit eggs for the next generation during these migrations. The length of these journeys exceeds the normal lifespan of most monarchs, which is less than two months for butterflies born in early summer.

And you would think they had nothing in common, until Monday.

Typically we see Monarchs flying through our area in March-May, laying eggs, turning into caterpillars, then chrysalids, then butterflies and continuing on their way north. Then in August-October here they come again heading south-same scenario. But possibly due to last years drought (remember that?) there were very few flying north past our home in Brazoria County in spring. Clearly the Monarch Butterfly’s calendars were all askew, and then they were late heading south, not landing in our yard until last week.

Monarch caterpillars late to the migration party

Bad timing for caterpillars as the Houston area weather took a mild turn from hot and humid to cooler overnights. The last monarch generation of the summer enters into a nonreproductive phase known as diapause, which may last seven months or more.During diapause, butterflies fly to one of many overwintering sites. The overwintering generation generally does not reproduce until it leaves the overwintering site sometime in February and March. And there is nothing worse for a caterpillar turning into a chrysalid on their way south than a cold front as many cannot survive overnight temperatures of 40f while the caterpillar transforms itself from chrysalid to butterfly over a few days.When this exact thing happened Monday – we MacGyvered oursevles a chrysalid rescue.

First, we stationed them on an iPhone, purchased specifically for this purpose, and hoped nobody called or texted during these critical moments. We then thought – “now what?”

You see, MacGyver could deactive a nuclear bomb with Double Yum Bubble Gum, a tweezer and the creamy filling from a Suzy Q – and I am sure we will be sued by all those companies for using their product names out of context. So with a piece of styrofoam, a broken bird feeder, masking tape, 5 sewing needles and a paper towel – we swooped in an built an overnight Chrysalidiary (I just made that up) – bringing them in at night and putting them back out in the morning to warm up in the sun.

WARNING: Do not try this at home! The last thing you want is butterflies eclosing in your home, attacking you like some whimsical bird of prey because you made a mistake in timing – and they leave little poop stains on your floor.

Next – broken bird feeder, sewing needles to ‘pin” them, tape, styrofoam…Pinning is done through the thread they use to attach themselves to plants or our fenceposts.

The moral to the story? I really do not have one.

Final Product – 5th one was tricky, no thread to pin through – but here is the nearly end product. now fingers crossed as we bring them in every night after work to the garage which is about 10 degrees warmer than outdoors

The climate is shifting a bit and every once in a while wildlife gets caught early or late to the migration. Here is an amazing fact: Monarch butterflies are one of the few insects capable of making trans-Atlantic crossings. You have seen them fly – they surely cannot have a sense of direction and the lightest breeze throws them off course – they are beyond amazing.

It is easy to attract butterflies to your yard or patio with some simple Milkweed (Asclepia species) plants. You can enjoy native wildlife – even if it is an insect that flies around like it has no idea where it is going – most of the year with a few simple gardening tips and some knowledge of 1980′s TV shows.

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Nov
01

The Climate Change Conundrum

Posted by in Conservation,Texas,What You Can Do

Simply put – it is barely understandable. Climate Change and Global Warming- the terms simply do not convey what the problem is and how to reverse the trend. They are catchphrases that make us shake our head, shrug our shoulders and move on to the next interesting news bit that floats our way. Here is another phrase I do not understand but it was on a McDonalds sign in Pearland on my way to work so it must be true: Cheddar Bacon and Peppermint Shake. Is that two separate flavors or just one? This is what catches my attention at 6:10am, not atmospheric carbon dioxide. I do know that they serve their regular shakes in recyclable plastic and not styrofoam like other drive-thru food chains so they are inadvertenty trying to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide while making you drink a Cheddar Bacon and Peppermint Shake. Good for them.

We all are led to believe that Coke is the preferred beverage of polar bears during the holidays, but they may be persuaded to try a Cheddar Bacon and Peppermint Shake

I copied this from an article on the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) website so you will understand why I think we do not understand: Overwhelming international scientific consensus confirms that human activities are disturbing Earth’s climate [1,3,4]. Science has demonstrated that atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) has increased by 35% (currently ~ 387ppm) and that Earth, as a whole, has warmed about 1.5o F in the past century alone. Effects from climate change are already threatening biodiversity and human health and are expected to increase [1,3,4,6,9]. 

Sub-arctic tundra and its inhabitants are affected by changing weather patterns

They used 5 references to write that one paragraph but what does it mean to most of us and how do we convey such a message so that humans understand – 1) The earth may be heating up a bit 2) Even a bit of heating up is way beyond what our planet can handle 3) Things are changing and not for the better unless we slow down our pace of consumption of earth’s resources. At least this is how I think we should start the conversation.

I found this on another site: Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide have exceeded their relatively safe planetary boundary of 350 parts per million (ppm) and urgently need returning below this level if disastrous and unmanageable climate change impacts are to be avoided. I cannot tell what a part per million is but I do understand disastrous and unmanageable and I prefer neither to occur.

Why does it matter? Texas is always hot and humid. Short term memory has just showed us that we had a fairly decent weather year in Houston; rain, heat but not brain-melting, hurricane hitting our beaches-not this year, but we have nearly forgotten the ground scorching drought of 2011? Worst in a century? Fires all over the state, agriculture affected. The climate is changing and I understand just enough to know we are not doing anything about it here or in other countries.

Polar Bears, Seals, Walrus and migratory birds might be the species most affected by Climate Change – the poster “children” on what happens when our seas and atmosphere get too warm. We do not have Polar Bears here at the Houston Zoo. Wrong climate for them. A warm front for a Polar Bear is 50 degrees. A cold front 40 degrees below zero, so no matter how you look at it, we are always 50 degrees too warm for them.

Polar Bear just biding his time in Churchill, Canada, waiting for the November sea ice on Hudson Bay to hunt for seals

From the AZA site http://www.aza.org/climate-disruption/:  Polar Bears are arctic inhabitants which require sea ice for their critical habitat. Polar bears rely on winter ice formation to mate and to hunt seals in order to build up their own supply of body fat to sustain them while on land throughout the summer when the ice recedes. The polar bear’s ability to meet its fat requirements directly depends on the existence of ice habitat.

It would read like this: Loss of sea ice = loss of ability for Polar Bears to feed themselves  = potential for starving bears July-November until the next sea ice forms = decline of species. If you knew just this one fact – would you care enough to use less electricity, get better gas mileage, and waste less natural resources in order to protect a species?

This is not about animals being hunted to extinction – the weather patterns are dictating their survival from this point forward and only we can make the committment to change. It is not just about Polar Bears; migratory birds, marine mammals, fish, coral reefs, amphibians – a multitude of species will be affected by these changes.

It’s the holiday season – care just a little more about our planet, we are the only ones who can.

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Oct
25

Okapi Crisis Update

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

Below is an update on the Okapi Crisis that occurred on 24 June 2012. For those of you who may not know about the attack, here is some background information:

The Okapi Wildlife Reserve, located near the Epulu station in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri Forest, was attacked by a group of poachers known as Simba rebels. They were seeking revenge on the Institute in the Congo for Conservation of Nature (ICCN); whose headquarters base at the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, for recently shutting down their illegal poaching and mining activities. The outcome of this attack was tragic leaving six people dead. Everything of value, from computers to vehicles were stolen or burned. All food and medical supplies were taken, leaving the village with nothing to eat. The 14 Okapis stationed at the reserve, serving as ambassadors for the country’s flagship species were killed. Over 30 villagers from Epulu were taken hostage to assist the poachers in transporting the stolen goods. Fortunately most of the Okapi Conservation Project’s (OCP) staff and locals were able to escape into the forest unharmed. Also, the villagers taken hostage were released and are beginning to return to the village.

The Houston Zoo, among other institutions responded immediately to raise funds in  support of the Okapi Conservation Project. The funds that the Houston community donated so generously as well as donations from around the world have helped this project and the local villagers to get back on their feet after the devastating attack in June.

Here are some highlights of the progress the project has made in the past several months:

-          Debris removed and all facilities were cleaned up

-          Completed masonry and roofing work on guard housing blocks at Zunguluka guard post.

-          Re-opened airstrip.

-          Re-stocked the Health Clinic including the purchase of a new microscope.

-          Repaired damaged doors and windows in OCP facilities.

-          Provided food relief to OCP and ICCN staff and families in Epulu and Mambassa.

-          Provided medical care support for OCP and ICCN staff and families wherever they are presently based.

-           Provided financial support to families of rangers killed in action and an injured ranger and his family.

-          Provided funds to OCP staff to replace household items stolen during the attack.

ICCN Rangers meet with OCP Staff to discuss next steps (photo courtesy of http://www.okapiconservation.org/)

-          Replaced technology items (computers/printers) for OCP staff.

-          Agro-forestry Team assisted with upland rice harvest, collecting 50% of the seeds which will then be redistributed to other farmer’s cooperatives in March 2013. 

-          Assistance given to women’s associations in the form of vegetable seeds, garden tools, yarn and sewing lessons.

-          Assisted 180 farmers with bringing their produce to market.

-          OCP educators organized a conference in the town of Bunia on the dangers of deforestation for nearly 50 government officials, and gave a lecture on same topic to over 500 high school students.

-          Provided financial and logistical support to the joint operation being carried out by ICCN rangers and FARDC troops and supported ICCN patrols throughout the Reserve.

Over the next several months, the Okapi Conservation Project (OCP) will be conducting the following: 

-          Provide monthly food relief to OCP/ICCN staff and families.

-          Finalize construction of two housing blocks (four families) at the Zunguluka guard post.

-          Re-establish satellite internet communications at Epulu Station.

-          Provide school supplies, to be distributed as needed, to principals of 25 schools around the Reserve.

-          Provide bean seeds and tools to farmer’s cooperatives in Mambassa for the October planting season.

-          Support micro enterprise by providing six sewing machines to women’s association.

-          Continue repair of damaged OCP facilities and replacement of household items

-          Begin making cement blocks for rebuilding of ICCN Headquarters.

-          Provide support for joint ICCN/FARDC patrols in the central and northern sections of the Reserve.

-          Educators to follow up with customary chiefs on initial meetings and to plan actions for 2013 that are supportive of community needs and protect the integrity of the Reserve.

-          OCP educators will hold a conference in the town of Isiro involving government and military leaders to discuss issues related to protecting the northern area of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve.

For more information about the progress of the Okapi Conservation Project, please visit their website: http://www.okapiconservation.org/

We love Okapis!!!

As a supporter of the Houston Zoo, you not only help provide our exhibit animals with A+ care, but you also help support wild animals and local communities all around the globe. Without your support efforts like the Okapi Crisis Relief would not be possible. We thank you for everything you do to help protect people, animals, and habitats around the world!

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