Conservationists fly out to Africa to save great apes

Conservationists fly out to Africa to save great apes

Conservationists have this week launched a major project to protect one of Africa’s most threatened great ape species.

The collaborative approach between Bristol Zoological Society (BZS) and the University of the West of England (UWE) will see a research base set-up in Monte Alén National Park, mainland Equatorial Guinea, where experts will focus their efforts on protecting western lowland gorillas. 

In 2005, it was estimated that around 2,000 of the Critically Endangered primates lived in the national park. Current numbers are unknown.

Their dwindling population numbers are reflected across five other African countries where western lowlands are found, including Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo and Gabon.

The exact number of western lowland gorillas is not known because they inhabit some of the densest and remote rainforests in Africa; however, recent estimates have shown that as few as 360,000 remain across their range. In addition, scientists predict gorilla numbers have declined by more than 60 per cent over the last 20 to 25 years.

In 2014, the IUCN released a 10-year Regional Action Plan for the Conservation of Western Lowland Gorillas and Central Chimpanzees 2015-2025.

In this plan, experts highlighted priority landscapes and actions to ensure the conservation of the species. One of the sites of ‘Exceptional Importance’ (meaning it holds more than five per cent of the global population of gorillas) was the Monte Alén-Monts de Cristal-Abanga Landscape - a transboundary region between Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

A senior lecturer in conservation science from UWE Bristol, Dr David Fernández, has just touched-down in the country to begin working on a joint project to provide active protection for the species which is seriously threatened by bushmeat hunting and habitat loss.

It’s the first time for more than a decade that conservationists and research teams have focused their attention in the National Park. The project team from Bristol Zoological Society and UWE has just completed a five-year strategic plan for activities focused on conserving this species in the region.

Dr Fernández explained: “We know very little about the biodiversity of the Monte Alén National Park but know it is a hugely important area for ape conservation.

“Our efforts will see us working with local communities to find sustainable alternatives to bushmeat hunting as well as training local field technicians and international graduate students in research methods.

“Behaviour change is a crucial part of our project and our aim is to promote behaviours that conserve gorilla habitat among local communities. We’ll also be implementing policy, advocacy, and action planning work with the Equatoguinean government to encourage better enforcement of laws against primate hunting”.

Dr Gráinne McCabe, Bristol Zoological Society’s head of field conservation and science, who is leading the project, explained: “The size of the remaining population of western lowland gorillas in Monte Alén is currently unclear, and our first step is to determine if we still have a healthy population here. This population is considered highly irreplaceable, meaning loss of these animals due to hunting or habitat destruction would have a disastrous impact on the species.

“These gorillas help maintain a well-functioning ecosystem for many other species in the park as they are seed-dispersers, so their loss is not only detrimental to the future of these amazing primates but also fellow residents of their habitat.

“It can take on average 16 years for an animal’s IUCN Red List status to change, from a high threatened category to a lower one, so results won’t be immediate, but we are extremely hopeful to see population numbers stabilising as we continue to work in the region.”

The five-year strategy for the project is estimated to cost around £500,000. Some of the funding will be spent on placing camera traps around the National Park to determine how western lowland gorillas are using the forest, as well as the population size.

This activity is in partnership with The Biodiversity Initiative - an NGO focused on creating an inventory of the wildlife of Equatorial Guinea.

Bristol Zoological Society has been focused on the conservation of apes in Central Africa since 2003. Its initial project centred on the creation of a community hunting zone in the buffer region around the Dja Biosphere Reserve in southern Cameroon; an important gorilla habitat.

In addition to the Society’s work in Dja, it has also provided long-term support to Ape Action Africa - a primate sanctuary based at Mefou National Park, Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Bristol Zoological Society also participates in a breeding programme which has seen two gorillas born to our family group at Bristol Zoo Gardens since 2016.

To find out more about the project and how you could help towards the protection of threatened species across the world, visit bristolzoo.org.uk or contact the Zoo’s development team at development@bzsociety.org.uk.

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After more than 50 years working in private, commercial and National zoos in the capacity of keeper, head keeper and curator Peter Dickinson started to travel. He sold house and all his possessions and hit the road. He has traveled extensively in Turkey, Southern India and much of South East Asia before settling in Thailand. In his travels he has visited well over 200 zoos and many more before 'hitting the road' (many more before that) and writes about these in his blog http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/

or on Hubpages http://hubpages.com/profile/Peter+Dickinson

Peter earns his living as an independent international zoo consultant, critic and writer. Currently working as Curator of Penguins in Ski Dubai. United Arab Emirates. He describes himself as an itinerant zoo keeper, one time zoo inspector, a dreamer, a traveler, an introvert, a people watcher, a lover, a storyteller, a thinker, a cosmopolitan, a writer, a hedonist, an explorer, a pantheist, a gastronome, sometime fool, a good friend to some and a pain in the butt to others.

"These are the best days of my life"

Peter Dickinson Independent International Zoo Consultant +971 50 4787 122 | elvinhow@gmail.com | Skype: peter.dickinson48

New research station in the Philippines to save critically endangered species

New research station in the Philippines to save critically endangered species

Conservationists from Bristol Zoological Society have established a new research station deep in the forest on Negros Island in the Philippines.

The new facility will allow experts to carry out in-depth studies of endangered animals living in remote and previously inaccessible areas of the forest.

Bristol Zoological Society has been working on Negros Island in the Philippines since 2014, predominantly striving to protect the Critically Endangered Negros bleeding heart dove. It is feared there are now less than 400 pairs of Negros bleeding heart doves left in the wild.

The Philippines is home to more than 20,000 endemic species of plants and animals. However, 95 per cent of the country’s forests have already been cut down, mainly to grow crops. Bristol Zoo is working to protect a host of endangered species and the habitats they live in and carries out vital research into the animals that live there.

 A short video is available to download here: https://we.tl/hc7eiyRJO6

The Zoo’s Philippines conservation project is led by Dr Daphne Kerhoas, a lecturer in conservation science at Bristol Zoo and Nigel Simpson, head of operations at Wild Place Project.

Dr Kerhoas explains the significance of the new field station: “The new research station will be vital for enabling our conservationists to carry out studies on local wildlife, deep in the forest, allowing them to camp there for longer periods of time and carry out much more extensive research than ever before.”

The new camp includes a bamboo cabin as sleeping accommodation, a basic kitchen, toilets, and a shower fed by a nearby waterfall.

Dr Kerhoas added: “This is a significant development for our work in the Philippines and we hope to be able to build a much better picture of the richness of the biodiversity of the forest. Our presence there will also have a positive impact in terms of discouraging illegal activities such as hunting and deforestation in the area as well as generating additional income for local people.”

It also means researchers will be able to devote more time and resources to studying other endangered animals in the forests, such as Visayan warty pigs, Rufous-headed hornbills, Visayan tarictic hornbills and Philippine spotted deer.

Bristol Zoological Society is collaborating with, and funding, an organisation called PENAGMANNAKI which works on their behalf in the area. The team work alongside local farmers to promote the sustainable development of the area by developing livelihoods that don’t rely on the forests, and to find common solutions to reduce the impact of deforestation.

Earlier this year, conservationists from Bristol Zoo captured remarkable footage of Visayan warty pigs and Visayan leopard cats roaming the forests of southern Negros. The videos were captured on camera traps. It was the first time warty pigs had been caught on camera in this region.

Bristol Zoo Gardens is a conservation and education charity and relies on the generous support of the public not only to fund its important work in the Zoo, but also its vital conservation and research projects spanning five continents.

For more information about Bristol Zoological Society’s work in the Philippines, visit www.bristolzoo.org.uk/save-wildlife/conservation-and-research/philippines.

Peter Dickinson Independent International Zoo Consultant +971 50 4787 122 | elvinhow@gmail.com | Skype: peter.dickinson48

World first breeding of one of the rarest spiders on Earth

World first breeding of one of the rarest spiders on Earth

One of the rarest spiders on earth has bred at Bristol Zoo Gardens in a world first.

Over 1,000 tiny Desertas wolf spiderlings have hatched in the Zoo’s Bug World. So precious are the babies that some have even been hand-reared by dedicated keepers from tiny eggs.

The hatchings are a huge boost for the species which is only found in one valley on one of the Desertas islands, near Madeira, Portugal. There is thought to be a single population of just 4,000 adult spiders left in the wild – an alarmingly small number for an entire invertebrate species.

It is hoped that some of the spiderlings can be returned to their native island in the future to boost dwindling numbers in the wild.

Desertas wolf spiders are classified as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species but are not protected by any specific legislation.

The baby spiders are just 4mm in diameter but grow to be huge, impressive-looking black and white adults up to 12cm in size with a body size of 4cm. They are under threat from habitat loss due to invasive grass binding the soil where they burrow and blocking their natural shelters.

Bristol Zoo has joined forces with Instituto das Florestas e Conservação de Natureza (IFCN) and the IUCN to develop a conservation strategy to protect the species in an effort to prevent it becoming extinct.

As part of the vital conservation effort, Bristol Zoo’s Curator of Invertebrates, Mark Bushell, travelled to Desertas Grande last year with Zoo vet Richard Saunders and collected 25 Desertas wolf spiders to be brought back to the Zoo to breed as a ‘safety net’ population.

The effort has been a great success, as Mark explains: “Because this was the first time this species had ever been taken into captivity to breed, it was a steep learning curve. After some of the female spiders were mated, it was an anxious wait to see if they would produce egg sacs. We were thrilled when they did, and to see the tiny spiderlings emerge was fantastic – a real career highlight.”

Such was the keepers’ dedication, that when one of the female’s egg sac broke, eggs were carefully transferred into a miniature incubator for rearing. Once the eggs hatched, they were put into separate containers with sterilised soil, kept in quarantine and individually fed with fruit flies.

Bristol Zoo now plans to send hundreds of the tiny spiderlings to other Zoos in the UK and Europe to set up further breeding groups as part of a collaborative conservation programme for the species.

Mark added: “Establishing the world’s first captive breeding programme for this species is a fantastic step towards protecting it for the future. It is a beautiful and impressive creature but its natural habitat is being altered by invasive plants. There are simply not enough rocky and sandy areas of habitat left for the spiders to burrow and hide in. The result is a deadly game of musical chairs, whereby the spiders are competing for fewer and fewer burrows.”

Mark added: “In addition to the loss of habitat, one single catastrophic event could wipe out the species entirely. Now we have successfully created a ‘safety net’ population here at Bristol Zoo to help safeguard this impressive creature for the future.”

In future it is also hoped that Bristol Zoo’s team of horticulture experts can visit Desertas Grande to work with park rangers to control the invasive grass which is destroying the spiders’ habitats and help restore the original landscape.

Bristol Zoo Gardens is a conservation and education charity and relies on the generous support of the public not only to fund its important work in the zoo, but also its vital conservation and research projects spanning five continents.

For more information about visiting Bristol Zoo Gardens, visit the website at www.bristolzoo.org.uk or phone 0117 974 7300.

Peter Dickinson Independent International Zoo Consultant +971 50 4787 122 | elvinhow@gmail.com | Skype: peter.dickinson48

New effort to save one of world’s rarest spiders

Photo Credit Emanuele Biggi

New effort to save one of world’s rarest spiders

One of the world’s rarest spiders has been brought into captivity at Bristol Zoo Gardens in an attempt to save it from extinction.

It is believed to be the first time the Desertas wolf spider has been held in a UK zoo and it is only found on the Desertas islands, near Madeira, Portugal.

These impressive-looking black and white spiders can grow up to 12cm in size, with a body size of 4cm alone. They are under threat from habitat loss due to invasive grass binding the soil where they burrow and blocking their natural shelters.

The spider has been classified as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species but is not protected by any specific legislation.

Bristol Zoo has now joined forces with Madeira Natural Park (MNP) and the IUCN to develop a conservation strategy to protect the species in an effort to prevent it becoming extinct.

Mark Bushell, Curator of Invertebrates at Bristol Zoo, has just returned from Desertas Grande with 25 juvenile Desertas wolf spiders which he now intends to breed at the Zoo with the aim of releasing some of the spiders back onto the island over the next few years.

He said: “Establishing the world’s first captive breeding programme for this species is a fantastic step towards protecting it for the future. It is a beautiful and impressive creature but its natural habitat is being altered by invasive plants. There are simply not enough rocky and sandy areas of habitat left for the spiders to burrow and hide in. The result is a deadly game of musical chairs, whereby the spiders are competing for fewer and fewer burrows.”

There is thought to be a single population of approximately 25,000 spiders left in one area of valley on Desertas Grande – an alarmingly small number for an entire invertebrate species.

Mark added: “In addition to the loss of habitat, one single catastrophic event could wipe out the species entirely. Now we hope to create a ‘safety net’ population here at Bristol Zoo but it will be a steep learning curve as many aspects of the biology of this remarkable species are unknown.”

In future it is hoped that Bristol Zoo’s team of horticulture experts can visit Desertas Grande to work with park rangers to eliminate the invasive grasses which are destroying the spiders’ habitats and help restore the original landscape.

In the absence of native terrestrial mammals, this spider is a top predator in its small habitat. Its main prey is other invertebrates, but it has also been seen preying on lizards.

Bristol Zoo Gardens is a conservation and education charity and relies on the generous support of the public not only to fund its important work in the zoo, but also its vital conservation and research projects spanning five continents.

For more information about visiting Bristol Zoo Gardens, visit the website at www.bristolzoo.org.uk or phone 0117 974 7300.

Bristol Zoological Society opens UK’s first Institute of Conservation Science and Learning

Bristol Zoological Society opens UK’s first Institute of Conservation Science and Learning

On Monday 8^th June, Bristol Zoological Society officially opened its new Institute of Conservation Science and Learning – the first of its kind in the UK.

There to officially open the building was the Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Inger Andersen.

The Society normally teaches 40,000 pupils a year. With the new £2.3million world-class facility, it will reach over 45,000 pupils a year and 400 university students on full time and part time higher education courses.

The Zoo’s education and conservation science teams have been delivering high quality education for over 25 years. The teams collaborate with a number of universities and other educational institutions including the University of the West of England, the University of Bristol and South Gloucestershire and Stroud College, to co-deliver degree courses for their students.

                

Simon Garrett, Head of Conservation Learning at Bristol Zoo, said: “We are very proud to have developed this provision with our long-established academic partners, to equip students not only to understand conservation science academically, but to be based in an active conservation organisation and be taught by practising conservation experts – experiencing conservation action at first hand.”

Bristol Zoological Society’s mission is to save wildlife through conservation action and engaging people with the natural world. For more information visit: www.bristolzoo.org.uk. 

‘Extinct’ bird hatches at Bristol Zoo Gardens

‘Extinct’ bird hatches at Bristol Zoo Gardens

One of the rarest birds in the world has been bred by keepers at Bristol Zoo Gardens.

A Socorro dove chick has hatched and is thriving in the zoo, marking a major success for the species which is extinct in the wild. It is the first time Socorro doves have successfully bred at Bristol Zoo in five years. The chick was one of two that hatched but sadly one of them died at a young age.

The last recorded sighting of a Socorro dove in the wild was in 1972. Now there are around just 100 held in captivity in zoos around the world – including 25 birds in six UK zoos. Coordinated conservation breeding of the birds by organisations such as Bristol Zoo has prevented the total extinction of the species.

Bristol Zoo’s Curator of birds, Nigel Simpson, said: “Sadly these birds now only exist in captivity, so to have this chick hatch and survive 40 years after they were last seen in the wild is a great achievement.”

The chick at Bristol Zoo has been raised by foster birds - a pair of European turtle doves - which have a strong track record of raising healthy chicks. The precious Socorro dove egg was placed in the turtle doves’ nest as the adult Socorro doves have a poor history of incubating eggs.

Keepers monitored the chick via a hidden camera to follow its progress, capturing rare footage of these extremely endangered birds. To see a short clip of the two chicks (one of which unfortunately later died), click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sytyTj99onI&feature=youtu.be

Nigel added: “The foster birds have done a fantastic job of raising this very important chick and we are thrilled to say that another pair of foster birds is now incubating another Socorro dove egg which we hope will hatch soon.”

The chick is now fully fledged and can be seen in one of the aviaries near the zoo’s education centre. Bristol Zoo hopes the young bird, and any future chicks, will eventually be paired with Socorro doves from other UK zoos to continue the vital captive breeding programme for the species.

Socorro doves were native to the island of Socorro, 600 miles off the western coast of Mexico. They died out after falling prey to a rising number of feral cats in the area. Overgrazing sheep also destroyed much of their forest floor habitat and the birds were also hunted by humans for food.

Bristol Zoo Gardens is a conservation and education charity and relies on the generous support of the public not only to fund its important work in the zoo, but also its vital conservation and research projects spanning five continents.

For more information about visiting Bristol Zoo Gardens, visit the website at www.bristolzoo.org.uk or phone 0117 974 7300.

Your Chance To Win A Gorilla

The auction of Bristol Zoo’s Wow! Gorillas sculptures has raised £427,300 for charity.

It was a full house at the Victoria Rooms in Clifton tonight (Thursday) as over 550 people filled the auditorium to place their bids and watch the drama unfold.

The sculpture entitled ‘Gorizambard’ proved to be the most popular, fetching the highest amount of the evening at £23,000.

Wow! Gorillas ‘Still Life: Alfred’ and ‘Elvis’ also proved popular with bidders, fetching £12,000 and £10,200 respectively.

Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies MBE showed her generosity when she successfully bid £7,500 for ‘Distinctly Different’.

The amount raised reflects the popularity of Wow! Gorillas, which saw 61 life-size silverback gorilla sculptures placed around Greater Bristol and beyond this summer.

Director of Bristol Zoo, Dr Bryan Carroll, is thrilled with the success of the auction. He said: “We never could have predicted how successful Wow! Gorillas has been and the total raised at the auction has further demonstrated that; we are absolutely delighted and thankful for everyone’s generosity.

“Wow! Gorillas has been a fantastic way to celebrate Bristol Zoo’s 175th birthday this year as well as being a great way to raise funds for two very important causes - our conservation projects for critically endangered gorillas here and in Cameroon, as well as Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal which is raising funds for the cardiology unit at Bristol Children’s Hospital.”

Nicola Masters, Director of the Grand Appeal, added: “We are absolutely thrilled with the fantastic amount that has been raised at auction this evening. We are so thankful to Bristol Zoo for choosing to work with us on this project which has been enjoyed by so many people over the summer. The money raised tonight will have a huge impact on our Cardiology Appeal.”

Auctioneer Andrew Morgan said the Wow! Gorillas are a lasting work of art and memento of Bristol Zoo’s milestone year. “These wonderful gorillas have been a spectacular success and I was delighted and honored to be asked to auction them,” he said. The lucky bidders who bought a Wow! Gorilla will, not only be directly supporting two excellent charities, but will be acquiring a lasting and valuable work of art.”

The 101 small gorillas which have also appeared around the city this summer will be returned to the schools and nurseries which sponsored and decorated them.

Bristol Zoo is also holding a raffle offering the chance to win limited edition Wow! Gorillas prizes. First prize is an unpainted, small gorilla, the same size as the schools’ gorillas.

Second prize is a small piece of a Formula One Marussia Virgin racing car engine in a presentation display box. Earlier this summer the Wow! Gorillas logo featured on the nosecone of the Marussia Virgin Racing Formula One team car at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Third prize is a limited edition, small ceramic Wow! Gorilla, painted in the style of one of the 61 Wow! Gorilla designs.

Raffle tickets cost £1 each, available from Bristol Zoo until Friday, October 28, when the winners will be drawn. Tickets are also available online at www.bristolzoo.org.uk/win-a-wow-gorilla

Wow! Gorillas has been created by Bristol Zoo Gardens in partnership with Bristol City Council and Wild in Art which promotes art through the use of unique animal sculptures as three dimensional artist’s canvas.

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Bristol Zoo’s Wow! Gorillas are Apps-olutely gorilliant!

Bristol Zoo’s Wow! Gorillas are Apps-olutely gorilliant!

With the success and popularity of Bristol Zoo’s Wow! Gorillas, the Zoo is now launching two free mobile phone apps and an online photo competition for the project.

The apps – one for Android phones and another for iPhones - aim to help as many people as possible enjoy the Wow! Gorillas trail and get more involved in the project.

The Android mobile phone app has been developed for the zoo for free, by Bristol based mobile app development company, Mubaloo. It enables people to see the locations of the gorilla sculptures on a Google map and click the icons to view information about each of the 60 gorillas on the trail.

It also includes an Augmented Reality view of the gorilla's locations so you can view their direction and distance overlaid on the device camera; take photos of the gorillas and upload them to a free photo sharing server, and tick off each Wow! Gorilla sculpture from a list as the trail is completed. The app is free to download and available via the Android Marketplace at https://market.android.com/details?id=com.mubaloo.bristolgorillaar

Matt Hatch, Managing Director of Mubaloo, said: "We are thrilled to have been able to develop and donate this Android app to Bristol Zoo for their Wow! Gorillas campaign. We hope the app will enable more people to know about, get involved with and support such a great cause."

The iPhone app, which is also called ‘Wow Gorillas’, also allows users to see the 60 gorilla locations on a map, find out more about each gorilla sculpture, take photos and upload them to facebook, and tick off the gorillas as they are found. The app, which has been developed by local zoo supporter, Jason Trask, is also free to download from the iPhone App Store at http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/wow!-gorillas/id453299756?mt=8.

Everyone who ticks off all 60 gorillas using either of the two apps will be eligible for one half price voucher to visit the zoo.

The Zoo is also launching a photo competition on Facebook, inviting members of the public to upload their best photo of a Wow! Gorilla and be in with a chance of winning a selection of prizes.

The photo competition runs from tomorrow (Tuesday, August 9) until Sunday, September 4 and has been developed by Bristol-based social media company, Montage Communications.

Matt Anderson, commercial director, said: "Montage Communications is delighted to be working with Bristol Zoo Gardens' Wow! Gorillas' public art event. Our strategy is to create a fun and engaging interactive social media competition inviting Facebook users to upload a photo of themselves with their favourite Wow! Gorilla.

“Working with Twitter users and supporters in the blogosphere, we aim to harness the online groundswell of support for Wow! Gorillas to raise awareness of, and secure long term interest in, gorilla conservation.”

He added: "Visit www.facebook.com/WowGorillas  today and become involved in one of the city's most pioneering and interactive art events!"

To enter the competition, visit the Facebook page, upload a photo of your favourite Wow! Gorillas sculpture with a caption explaining why it is your favourite.

You can then share and get your Facebook friends to vote for your photo. After the closing date of September 4, the 10 photos with the most votes will form a short list, with the top three winners being chosen by a panel consisting of members from Bristol Zoo, Wild In Art as well as representatives from the prize sponsors.

· 1st prize: The Bristol Zoo Package. A range of unique experiences to the value of £500.

· 2nd prize: Overnight stay, dinner, bed and breakfast for two people at the Holiday Inn Bristol City Centre, including Champagne on arrival, donated by Holiday Inn Bristol City Centre.

· 3rd prize: A two night weekend stay for two people at the Bristol Marriott Hotel City Centre, including breakfast, donated by Bristol Marriott Hotel City Centre.

· 4th prize: £100 gift card to spend at The Mall Cribbs Causeway, donated by The Mall Cribbs Causeway.

Paul Pritchard, Marketing Coordinator at Bristol Zoo, said “The introduction of our Facebook competition and the two new mobile phone applications are a great addition to this exciting city-wide project.

“The Facebook competition will give all Wow! Gorillas fans the opportunity to showcase their favourite Wow! Gorillas sculpture, share it with their friends and family and have an opportunity to win some great prizes.”

For more information about Wow! Gorillas, visit the Bristol Zoo website at www.bristolzoo.org.uk/wow-gorillas  or call 0117 9747 300.

GORILLA

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Bristol Zoo Director to lead European conservation committee

The director of Bristol Zoo Gardens has been appointed as chairman of a Europe-wide conservation committee.

Dr Bryan Carroll will lead the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) Conservation Committee, which co-ordinates and encourages the field conservation efforts of zoos across Europe, while heading campaigns to protect endangered species in the wild.

EAZA is an organisation with members from the European zoo and aquarium community. Its mission is to promote cooperation between zoos to benefit animal collection planning and wildlife conservation.

Bryan, who lives in Backwell, North Somerset, will now lead EAZA’s Conservation Committee, whose main task is to coordinate the field (in the wild) conservation activities of member institutions and to liaise with conservation organisations.

He said: “The EAZA Conservation Committee is an internationally recognized and respected committee with outstanding conservation credentials. The committee does a fantastic job and I am honoured to have been asked to be the new chairman. I also believe my appointment to the position is in recognition of Bristol Zoo’s conservation efforts around the world.”

Membership of EAZA is open to all zoos and aquaria across Europe which are willing to comply with EAZA's standards.

While the conservation breeding programmes of zoos are well recognised, the conservation carried out in the wild is not so well known. EAZA members support hundreds of conservation projects in the wild and contribute more than €100 million to biodiversity conservation each year.

EAZA also promotes education and contributes to relevant meetings and discussions of organisations such as IUCN, European Union and CITES. It also lobbies the European Union, or other representative committees such as the European Parliament and the European Council on issues such as the bushmeat trade and palm oil.

Bryan succeeds Pierre Gay, director of Zoo Doué La Fontaine, in France. Bryan added: “The committee has gone from strength to strength under Pierre’s leadership and I have a hard act to follow. I wish him well for the future.”

Bryan joined Bristol Zoo in 1995 as Operations Manager and took on the position of Deputy Director in 2003.

Before joining Bristol Zoo, Bryan worked at Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust (Jersey Zoo) where he was Curator of Mammals for six years. In 1993, Bryan gained his PhD in primate social behaviour.

In 2003, Bryan became Deputy Director of Bristol Zoo Gardens with responsibility for the animal collections, the gardens, research and field conservation programmes.

Bryan chairs the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) Bushmeat Working Group, the Callitrichidae Taxon Advisory Group, and the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums Conservation and Sustainability Committee.

Within EAZA, he is a member of Council, the EEP Committee (which oversees collaborative breeding programmes) and the Conservation Committee.

Bryan is a member of the IUCN/SSC Chiroptera Specialist Group, Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, Primate Specialist Group and also the IUCN UK Executive Committee.

He is also a member of the International Zoo Seminar Group and of the Defra-Zoo Liaison Group and is a Defra Zoo Inspector.

Bryan is a Trustee of Ape Action Africa, a charity dedicated to helping Cameroon’s threatened primates.

For more information about Bristol Zoo Gardens visit the website at http://www.bristolzoo.org.uk/  or phone 0117 974 7300.

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Amphibian attraction abound in Bristol Zoo’s frog ‘love shack’

Valentine’s Day is an important date in many people’s diaries, but for Bristol Zoo it marks the first anniversary of the opening of its amphibian breeding sanctuary.

Called The AmphiPod, the facility is home to two of the world’s most endangered frog species - lemur leaf frogs and golden mantella frogs. Both species are listed as ‘critically endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of threatened species.

Lemur leaf frog

Photo: Bristol Zoo

The AmphiPod provides the perfect conditions to help these rare frogs to breed and, since it opened, the frogs have been successfully indulging in plenty of amphibian attraction! `

Over the past year, the Zoo’s golden mantella frogs have spawned more than 500 babies, over 300 of which have now found new homes at other zoos and organisations across the country.

Golden Mantella Frog

Photo: Bristol Zoo

Meanwhile, the lemur leaf frogs, which are much trickier to breed and produce smaller clutches of eggs, have produced 56 offspring.

Andy Carbin, Bristol Zoo’s senior reptile and amphibian keeper, explains: “We are really pleased with the success of our frog breeding in the AmphiPod. To have this many offspring over the past 12 months is fantastic.”

He added: “The AmphiPod is a high-tech facility which allows us to adjust the temperature, humidity and day length to create the perfect conditions to encourage the frogs to breed. It is a vital tool in helping to save high-risk frog species from the danger of extinction – which is currently a very real and near threat.”

The global extinction crisis is mainly due to man’s destruction of amphibians’ natural habitats, but in a deadly combination with pollution and climate change, they now face an even bigger and deadlier threat – a fungal disease called ‘amphibian Chytrid’ (chytridiomycosis).

This killer fungus is steadily spreading over the world. One third to one half of all amphibian species are currently threatened with extinction, with more than 160 species thought to have been lost in recent years. The threat is so serious that the World Conservation Union (IUCN) has said that the only hope for many species is to hold them in captivity until the disease can be tackled in the wild.

As a result, priority amphibian species are being taken into dedicated facilities at zoos, aquariums, and other institutions around the world for safekeeping and breeding.

Until a solution is found to stop the fungus continuing to spread in the wild, the safekeeping and captive management of threatened amphibians is the only way to ensure their long-term survival.

Bristol Zoo’s AmphiPod provides a safe, isolated environment, away from any threat of disease, as well as giving zoo keepers the opportunity to learn the techniques required for the specialist amphibian care that can be provided in the AmphiPod. In future Bristol Zoo will be able to provide a safe haven to other amphibian species in immediate danger of extinction.

For more information about Bristol Zoo Gardens visit the website at http://www.bristolzoo.org.uk/  or phone 0117 974 7300.

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'No Mirrors Involved'

Snow Leopards

Photo supplied by Peter Litherland of the

Welsh Mountain Zoo