YOUTH AND BIODIVERSITY: Zoo

Showing posts with label Zoo. Show all posts

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Not as Dead as a Dodo – Durrell demonstrates how it is saving species from extinction

If only conservation organisations and zoos had existed in the time of the dodo, it may not be extinct today.

Good zoos are powerful forces for conservation and some of the world’s most extraordinary and most threatened species would not be surviving without them.

The British and Irish Association for Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), which promotes the values of good zoos and aquariums, has compiled a list of the top ten species most reliant on zoos in the UK and Ireland.

Animals on the very brink of extinction including an oddly named frog, a leopard, a lemur and even a tree have all made it into the top ten, highlighting some of the best examples of how zoos are safeguarding the future of our planet’s wildlife and their habitats.

Dr Andrew Marshall, a member of BIAZA’s Field Programmes Committee, who co-ordinated the compilation of the list with input from conservation experts based at BIAZA zoos, said: “This list highlights ten prevailing examples of how zoos are working to save these and many other species from extinction. Without the valuable conservation and breeding work of many of our member zoos and aquariums, many ‘at risk’ species such as these may be lost to extinction forever.”

See http://www.durrell.org/Latest/News/Not-as-Dead-as-a-Dodo--Durrell-demonstrates-how-it-is-saving-species-from-extinction-/

Thursday, June 21, 2012

9th Annual Wild Toy Animal Hospital-TORONTO, CANADA

Sunday, June 24
Africa Picnic Site 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
(last visit with the Doctor 1:30 pm)

Real Vets for plush pets! Let the Toronto Zoo's Wildlife Health Centre give your Wild Toy the tender love and care it deserves with a full check-up, weigh-in, x-ray, microchipping and heart monitoring stations - we promise it won't hurt! Children 12 and under, one toy per child. No live animals please!

Friday, May 4, 2012

Visit the NEW White Lion Exhibit at the Toronto Zoo- Canada

May 4, 2012 Toronto, Ontario

We are very excited to be welcoming the return of white lions to our collection! Toronto Zoo introduces new white lions, which will be on exhibit in a variety of combinations, as a permanent addition to our African Savanna family. Unique to the Timbavati region of South Africa, these rare and beautiful cats have not been seen in the wild in over 15 years. The first reintroduction of white lions into the Timbavati area occurred in 2003. They carry the recessive gene known as a colour inhibitor of the Kruger subspecies of lion (Panterha leo krugeri). With lion populations dwindling, they are now classified as a vulnerable species. Come see our new white lions, catch a daily Keeper Talk and help the Zoo bring awareness to the plight of the African lion in the wild.

"White lions are not albinos but a genetic rarity that is endemic to the Timbavati region of South Africa and Southern Kruger Park. As an entity, white lions are critically endangered and are a symbol of community conservation, protection, and restoration efforts in the region," says Dr. William Rapley, Executive Director of Conservation, Education and Wildlife, Toronto Zoo. "Being a vulnerable species, the Zoo is committed to the conservation of African lions. We will offer Keeper talks, events and programs to educate our visitors on this popular and interesting animal. The white lions have returned to the Zoo after 17 years, and we are certain this exhibit will be a real favourite for our visitors.

Monday, April 2, 2012

AFRICAN PENGUINS AT THE TORONTO ZOO- CANADA

The African penguin is also known as the black-footed penguin (Spheniscus demersus).

This medium-sized penguin has a robust body with black plumage on its back and white plumage with black markings on its chest and belly. The head, chin, throat, uppermost parts of the breast, and the whole of the upper parts are black. A broad white band commencing at the base of the bill runs above the eye, and continues around the cheeks, broadening over the upper breast.

By far the greatest threat to these interesting birds has come from humans. The present population is probably less than 10% of that in 1900, when there was estimated to be about 1.5 million birds on Dassen Island alone. By 1956 the population had fallen to roughly half that in 1900, and had halved again by the late 1970s, when there was an estimated 220,000 adult birds. By the late 1980s the number had dropped to about 194,000 and in the early 1990s there was an estimated 179,000 adult birds. Breeding no longer occurs at 10 localities where it formerly occurred or has been suspected to occur.

The reasons for the significant decline in the African Penguin populations are well known. Initially, the decline was due mostly to the exploitation of penguin eggs for food, and habitat alteration and disturbance associated with guano collection at breeding colonies (removal of the guano layer resulted in increased predation of eggs and chicks). These factors have now largely ceased, and the major current threats include competition with commercial fisheries for pelagic fish prey, and oil pollution. Given an annual rate of decline of about 2% per year, there is considerable concern about the long-term viability of African Penguins in the wild. By the late 1990s the population had recovered slightly, and in 1999 there was an estimated 224,000 individuals.