Wildilfe and conservation news:10 January 2016

Rubi, Asiatic lioness at ZSL London Zoo (c) Tony Bates ZS

• A mountain lion with teeth growing out of its head has been killed in Idaho.
• A great white shark died after just three days in captivity at a Japanese aquarium.
• London Zoo's new lion enclosure will open on 25 March this year.
• Zimbabwe plans to sell elephants and lions to China to fund conservation.
• A record number of grey seals have been born at a beach in Norfolk.
• Wild monitor lizards in Australia have been trained not to eat poisonous cane toads.
• A woman was killed and eaten by a lion near Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.
• There was a slight drop in rhino poaching in South Africa in 2015.
• The National Wildlife Crime Unit may cease to exist from March.
• Teenager builds app to combat wildlife crime.
• Tourists saved a dying lion by posting a photo on Facebook.
• Swedidh hunters have started killing wolves in a controversial attempt to cull the population.
• Crocodiles on a water slide. You're welcome.
• New company launches to offer UK-based wildlife conservation holidays.

ZSL and Exodus team up to launch wildlife holidays

Whales and bears of British Columbia

Wildlife holidays are a popular choice, whether it's whale watching or a tiger safari, but it can be hard to know which trips are ethically sound, and which actually cause harm to the animals you're seeing, or their environment.

Now, ZSL (the conservation charity behind London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo) have teamed up with travel company Exodus to offer wildlife holidays. With a name like ZSL behind them, travellers can rest assured that their holiday will be as environmentally responsible as possible -- groups sizes are kept small to ensure minimum disruption while still benefiting local communities.

The trips take in all seven continents, ranging from four to 23 days, and offer a chance to see species in their native habitats while helping to fund ZSL’s global work for wildlife. Expert knowledgable guides will offer an insight into the flora and fauna, as well as local cultures,

Kathryn England, ZSL’s Head of Commercial, commented:
“By combining our wildlife knowledge with Exodus’ responsible travel expertise and 40 years of pedigree, we have created a collection of truly memorable wildlife adventures, rooted in conservation.”

Prices start from £1,209, with 27 trips to choose from, and you don't have to travel too far to enjoy the wildlife on offer -  European options include bear watching in Romania or whale and dolphin watching in the Azores. It's a tough call, but these are our top five of the trips on offer:

• In search of brown bears in Romania
• Volunteering on a game reserve on the Zambezi River
• In search of snow leopards in the Himalayas
• Tigers in focus in India
• Whales and bears of British Columbia

Take a look at the website to see the full range of trips on offer.

Tigers About The House Episode 2

Yesterday we watched the first episode of BBC2 documentary Tigers About The House. You can read our thoughts on that here.

Episode 2 has just aired, and our thoughts are very much the same. In this episode, the cubs were slightly older, meaning that they were doing a lot of damage to the house they are living in, such as chewing up sofas. Despite the fact that this can't be good for them, and the obvious choking/digestion risks it provides, the family seemed unbothered about stopping such behaviours, which only served further to highlight how inappropriate it is to raise wild animals in a house.

On the other side of the spectrum, fair play to the BBC for showing the real extent of poaching, the real nitty gritty, rather than pussy-footing round the issue. Part of the programme was filmed in Indonesia, and showed the skins and body parts of tiger which had been poached - including a foot which was hanging onto the rest of the skin by a thread thanks to the damage done by a snare.

Whilst we embrace any television programme, or zoo, which helps to raise awareness of the plight of critically endangered animals such as the Sumatran tiger, we still have strong reservations that hand-rearing cubs is the way to go about raising awareness, or even that it makes any contribution to the long term welfare and conservation of these animals.

We'll be tuning in to the final installment tomorrow to see if our views change.

EDIT: Since the second episode aired earlier this evening, it has been revealed that during filming, one of the tiger keepers at Australia Zoo, where the programme takes place, was left in intensive care after being mauled by one of the adult tigers. This does nothing to impove the programme's reputation, which was already taking a beating from the public on social media, and only serves to fuel the argument that tigers should not be socialised.

Tigers About The House Episode 1

This week, BBC2 shows a three part documentary, Tigers About The House, which looks at a pair of Sumatran tiger cubs being hand reared at home by a zoo keeper in Australia.

Anything that brings publicity for this endangered species is good, but finding out about the programme, we were expecting a little controversy to be stirred up. None of the previews mentioned a reason for them being hand reared, meaning that we were expecting resistance, at the very least, from viewers of the Born Free mentality, and perhaps even more widespread if they had been taken from their mother and domesticated without a legitimate reason such as rejection at birth.

It was interesting to see Australia Zoo's approach to conservation awareness, allowing visitors to get up close and touch animals such as camels and wallabies in the hope that it would encourage the public to support conservation efforts. However, the issue of domesticating these wild animals to the point that the public can interact with them is something that has been phased out in the majority of zoos in recent years, and is not something that we necessarily agree with. The programme even showed the tigers performing in a tiger show, despite many people believing that captive animals should not be made to perform, no matter how endangered or in need of publicity their species is.

It was revealed in the first episode that the reason for the cubs being removed from their mother, was not to do with rejection, or danger, but mainly influenced by the zoo's desire to continue their practice of directly handling these animals into the next generation - they wanted to domesticate the cubs from birth so that their keepers could continue to enter their enclosures, rather than keeping their distance as is standard practice in most zoos,

That's not to say that Giles doesn't have the best intentions, and doesn't do an excellent job at raising the cubs - he does. But that doesn't mean that everyone agrees with their decision to handle the animals and remove two healthy cubs from their mother to satisfy human desires.

Let's see what the next episode brings tomorrow.

Conservation news round-up: 26 May-1 June 2014

The big news in wildlife and conservation this week:

Study finds that the killing of elephants in past generations has affected the social structure of current generations.

Study finds that elephant calves suck their trunks the same way that human babies suck their thumbs.

There are plans to open a coal mine just 40 metres from Hluhluwe-iMfolozi park in South Africa, which is considered the most important rhino sanctuary in the world.

In Kent, there has been an increase in wild birds such as chaffinches being caught in glue traps and sold for profit.

The first ever "elephant selfie" has been taken at West Midlands Safari Park, after a visitor dropped his phone into the enclosure.

US members of congress support orca protection.

Trainer mauled by a tiger returns to work at Steve Irwin's zoo.

Surprise sloth baby at London Zoo.

Twycross Zoo celebrates 50th anniversary.

Study of orangutan's teeth at Chester Zoo aims to help their wild counterparts.

Penguins at Canberra Zoo killed by fox.

Seaworld accused of distorting orca research.

Wildlife art exhibitions coming to London. Two have been and gone, but two are yet to come.

Great images of Masai Mara wildlife at sunrise and sunset.

Bison released back into the wild in Romania

Toxic toads threatening Madagascar's wildlife.

Fewer polar bears are being born in the wild than before, due to climate change, putting the species into even greater danger of extinction.

Florida woman keeps Bengal tigers as pets.

Images of tigers caught on camera traps.


What have we missed? Let us know in the comments below, or on Facebook or Twitter.

What makes a good zoo?

Are the animals stimulated? 

 We recently shared our reasons for believing that zoos are crucial in the world today. However, it goes without saying that sadly, not all zoos are up to scratch, and for every zoo that does great conservation work and takes good care of the animals it has, there is usually another zoo which does not show animals the respect and care they deserve. The majority of people who go to a zoo want to know that whichever zoo they visit is a "good" zoo, that treats animals well and contributes to worthwhile conservation projects, but it can be hard to know what to look for in a "good" zoo. Here are a few pointers:

• Does the zoo operate as a charity? Many zoos in the UK and around world also work as charities. Well reputed examples of this are London and Whispsnade Zoos (Zoological Society of London), Howletts and Port Lympne (Aspinall Foundation) and Marwell. That's not to say a zoo which is not a charity does take good care of the animals it has, but before you visit, consider that your money (entrance fee, souvenirs, food and drink) might be put to better use visiting a zoo which does operate as a charity?
• Do they do conservation work? This is usually found out by a quick look-see at the zoo's website before you visit - they are usually keen (and rightly so) to shout about any conservation work that they do.
• Do they inform? A decent zoo should aim to educate the public about the animals on display, and their wild counterparts. This can be done through guidebooks, signs at enclosures, kids activities and public talks.
• Do they operate a green policy within the zoo? Are there recycling bins for example, encouraging the public to recycle their rubbish? Do products and foods that they sell come in environmentally friendly packaging? Do they charge for plastic bags to discourage use? 
• Do the animals seem content?  It's a sad fact that any animal kept in captivity is unlikely to ever have as much space to live in as it would in the wild, no matter how small the animal or how large the zoo. However, most zoo animals are born in captivity and become accustomed to their lives. But if an animal seems agitated, paces excessively or is completely inactive, it's a suggestion that the animal may not be content in its environment. Don't jump to conclusions though, the animal may be temporarily unwell or having an off day - but if this behaviour continues over a longer period of time without zookeepers attempting to intervene, then the animal may not be receiving the care it deserves.
• Do the animals have privacy? It can be frustrating to visit a zoo and find the lion is asleep and the tiger is nowhere to be seen, but the fact is that animals need their privacy, just as humans do. Enclosures should provide a good balance of "on show" and "off show" space, allowing animals to remove themselves from the public eye when they wish to, where appropriate.
• Are there animal shows? Note the difference between talks, where the public are told a little bit about the animals, and shows, where the animals are made to perform. No animal in captivity should be made to perform tricks for the public's entertainment, and any zoo that makes animals do so is to be questioned. Most zoos do train animals to do basic commands, such as stretching, lifting paws etc. This is done so that zookeepers and vets can check the health of the animal without having to get close or tranquilise it, particularly for dangerous animals such as big cats. Many zoos also hide the animals' food around enclosures, rather than handing it to them on a literal or metaphorical plate. This is often known as 'enrichment' and is to aid psychological stimulation and recreate the skills and behaviours that animals would have to use to scavenge their food in the wild.

Of course, these are just a few basic pointers for anyone unsure about visiting a zoo. If in doubt, approach the zoo and ask them - if they have nothing to hide, they will be happy to liaise with the public, and should be happy that people care enough about animals to ask.

Further resources can be found here:

EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquariums) has a stringent policy which all institutions must adhere to in order to retain membership. A full list of EAZA members can be seen here. 

Why do we need zoos?

In this day and age, even the most modern of zoos can seem archaic. Many people, even avid zoo supporters, are in agreement than in an ideal world, we would not need zoos. Animals would be free to roam their natural habitats without threat of poaching or extinction, but sadly this is not the case, and therefore zoos are needed.

Of course, there are many individuals and organisations who contest this viewpoint, and everyone is entitled to their opinion. I have had an internal debate going for some time now regarding my  beliefs about zoos and the ethics that surround them. I believe that until the day comes when zoos are no longer required,  when animals can live in the wild without threats, they are necessary. Of course, it goes without saying that all zoos should be managed and monitored to ensure that animals receive the best treatment possible, in terms of living quarters, food, stimulation and protection from intrusion, a point made only more obvious in recent months by publicity from the likes of Copenhagen Zoo, Longleat, and Seaworld.

• Safeguarding an entire species.There are only around 300 Sumatran tigers left in a small pocket of Sumatra. Similarly, there are only around 400 Asiatic lions left, in the Gir Forest in India. If either of these areas were hit by a natural disaster, such as a forest fire, or a disease epidemic, the entire sub-species could be wiped out in a matter of hours, after centuries of living on this planet. At the moment it is very rare for a captive animal to be released back into the wild, however with more research in the future, it is likely to become more common, meaning that captive animals can act as a "back up" for some of the most endangered animals in the world.
• Raising funds. Sadly, as with everything in life, it all comes down to money. A good zoo will run, or at least contribute to, conservation or research projects in the wild - all of which require funds. Zoos which operate as charities usually generate funds from admission fees, and money spent inside the zoo, such as on souvenirs and food and drink.
• Raising awareness. How passionate are you about saving the pangolin? Not very, probably, as you have never heard of, or seen, one, and probably couldn't pick it out of a line-up. Lions or tigers however, you probably have more interest in protecting, because they are more familiar to you. Zoos give people a chance to see these animals close-up. It's one thing reading about them in the newspaper, but it's hard to appreciate the true majesty of a big cat, or the true prowess of an elephant until you've seen one in the flesh. And in seeing these animals, the public become more interested in trying to save them. They are no longer a distant creature on a far off continent that has no relevance to the public's day to day live. They become real.
• Research and observation. Zoos offer researchers and scientists a chance to observe animals in close quarters, in a way they would never be able to in the wild. Learning about behaviours can help to understand the species in the wild, and the threats it faces. And yes, when animals in captivity die, as all animals do sooner or later, their deaths can be used to further existing scientific knowledge. All zoos are required, as far as possible, to provide a cause of death for each animal that dies. This is how it was discovered that silverback gorillas are particularly susceptible to heart disease - patterns of death in captive animals were recorded, and traced back to the wild.