SOS Tiger Appeal From London Zoo

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rcsaxon/2197156675/

ZSL London Zoo launches first ever public appeal for fundraising Plans for an ambitious tiger Conservation HQ at ZSL London Zoo will be lodged with Westminster Council at the end of this month, the Zoo announced today (21st February).

Launching the Zoo’s first-ever public fundraising appeal; Tiger SOS, Zoological Director David Field outlined the Zoo’s intention to build a new tiger breeding facility as part of a global conservation effort.

ZSL aims to raise £2million by 2013 to develop a conservation and breeding centre for Sumatran tigers at ZSL London Zoo and fund crucial conservation projects for their wild counterparts.

With just 300 left in the wild, the critically endangered Sumatran tiger now faces a situation so dire, that for the first time in its 186-year history, ZSL London Zoo is launching a public appeal for donations.

In just 70 years, three, possibly even four, subspecies of tiger have become extinct in the wild. Conservationists believe the Sumatran will be the next to die out.

Tiger SOS will work to reverse the fate of the Sumatran tiger using the unique position the Zoo has to connect wild tigers and zoo tigers; breeding tigers at ZSL London Zoo as part of the conservation support programme, and applying that support to our cutting edge projects to save wild tigers in Indonesia.

Five times the size of the current tiger enclosure, the new centre will give the millions of Zoo visitors the chance to get up close to these amazing animals, and provide a central hub for ZSL’s conservation work.

The European breeding programme for Sumatran tigers is coordinated from ZSL London Zoo. ZSL’s experts are responsible for ensuring a healthy and diverse population of tigers in zoos across Europe, and they work with other zoos to inspire people to care about wild tigers and to raise funds for their conservation.

In the wild, money raised through Tiger SOS will enable ZSL to increase anti-poaching patrols in Indonesia, helping to fight against the trade in tiger skins and body parts and fund the creation of wildlife corridors in tigers’ increasingly fragmented habitats.

The campaign will also allow ZSL to invest in revolutionary tiger-friendly carbon trading projects that will help to lower carbon emissions and ensure the preservation of the tigers’ precious home. By introducing financial incentives, these projects guarantee that the living forests are worth more to the Indonesian Government, both environmentally and economically, when left standing.

ZSL has the expertise, the ability and the dedication to save the tiger. All it needs is the funds. Help ZSL to Give Tigers a Tomorrow, and get involved with Tiger SOS.

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Sad Blow For Gorillas at London Zoo

R.I.P. 'Yeboah'

'Yeboah' the 12 year old stud Western Lowland Gorilla sadly passed away in Regent's Park Zoo on Thursday 25th March 2010.

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilt/8010247/

This is a tremendous blow, not only for the staff, the zoo, the breeding programme but also for the three female gorillas, 'Zaire', 'Effie' and 'Mjukuu' who are once again left without a male. Their previous silverback male 'Bobby' died back in December 2008.

Bobby

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/s3a/560393975/

German born 'Yeboah' arrived from Zoo de la Boissière du Doré in western France to London Zoo in the latter part of 2009 and very quickly settled into the gorilla group.

It is always a tragedy to lose an animal but to lose one as important as this so soon after his arrival has made the blow more difficult to bear. My condolences to all the staff.

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'Alien scene' of tadpoles' feast - And feasting on Tadpoles

The title to this article caught my attention because the other night I ate my first tadpole salad. Frogs are a common enough inclusion in my diet but the tadpoles were a first. Very tasty too....on with the article.

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"Alien-like" scenes of tadpoles feasting on eggs emerging from their mother have been caught on camera.

The footage marks the success of a captive breeding programme for the critically endangered mountain chicken frog, one of the world's largest frogs.
In April, 50 of the amphibian giants were airlifted from Montserrat after a deadly fungus swept through the island, devastating the population.

Now several breeding programmes are under way to save the frogs.

Once numbers have been boosted in captivity, researchers hope to reintroduce the frogs back into the wild within the next two years.

Bizarre sight

The remarkable footage was recorded at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, in Jersey, which took in 12 of the rescued frogs. Twenty-six others went to Parken Zoo in Sweden, and 12 are now housed in ZSL London Zoo.

Fascinating....READ ON

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8185125.stm