IZA Test 3

AZA and Conservation, AZA SAFE Programs, Reintroduction

Conservation

- Prevention of wasteful use of a resource
- Careful preservation and protection of something
- Planned management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect

How do zoos (AZA) contribute to conservation?

- Animal Programs' conservation initiatives
- Field conservation efforts by member institutions
- Citizen science programs
- Providing funding
- Conservation education

Animal Program Initiatives

- APE TAG
- Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International
- Amphibian TAG
- Avian Scientific Advisory Group

Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International

Various ape sanctuaries

Amphibian TAG

- Puerto Rican Crested Toad reintroduction
- FrogWatch USA

Avian Scientific Advisory Group

- Bird Friendly Coffee
- African Vulture SAFE

Field Conservation Efforts

Those efforts that directly contribute to long-term survival of species in natural ecosystems and habitats

Feathers for native Americans

- Feathers of birds in zoo collections are collected and distributed to Native Americans to use in ceremonies or in headdresses
- Bald Eagles
- Parrots

Florida Scrub Jay Translocation Project

- Translocation and monitoring within Brevard County
- Brevard Zoo

Grevy's Zebra Trust

- Works with communities on habitat restoration and proactive dry season water management
- Employs people from the local community to collect data, inspire positive behavior torwards the species, and engage children in local schools
- Capture-recapture monitoring through photographic surveys
- Results used to understand the effect of proactive conservation measures on Grevy's Zebra recruitment and survival.
- Busch Gardens

Citizen Science Programs

FrogWatch USA
Christmas Bird Count

FrogWatch USA

- Volunteers take a class in frog ID
- Log entries into a database to track populations

Christmas Bird Count

- Volunteers record numbers of birds/species in a particular area
- Leader enters info into a database

What is the zookeeper's role in conservation?

- Volunteer for activities
- Collect information/samples
- Educate the public

Reintroduction Groups

- AZA: Reintroduction Scientific Advisory Group (ReintroSAG)
- IUCN: Reintroduction Specialist Group (RSG)

Reintroduction Scientific Advisory Group (ReintroSAG)

- AZA
- Reintroduction should be regarded as a science

Reintroduction Specialist Group (RSG)

- IUCN

What do both RSG and ReintroSAG say about reintroductions?

Reintroductions should not be carried out merely because captive stock exists or solely as a means of disposing surplus stock

What to consider for reintroduction? (9)

- Program objectives
- Necessary conditions
- Necessary conditions for release site
- Taxonomic issues
- Suitable release stock characteristics
- Socioeconomic and legal requirements in local area
- Release designs
- Health protocols
- Monitoring animals after release

Difficulties with reintroductions

- Can be complex
- Captive breeding can be expensive and take a long time
- Success is not guaranteed
- Evaluating effectiveness is difficult

Why is it difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of reintroductions?

- Goals can vary from project to project
- Depends on the methodology for each project
- Objectives are usually time dependent

Translocation

- Movement of wild individuals from one part of their range to another for conservation purposes
- Can initiate recovery process faster than captive breeding
- Common in nature preserves

Disease risks from Reintroduction

- Transmitted from captive to wild animals or vice versa
- Transmitted to animals from humans
- Increases mortality rates
- Greatly effects small populations
- Greater concern with captive to wild populations than with translocation

What is done to mitigate disease risks before reintroduction?

- Pre-release exam
- Quarentine period before release
- Avoid contact with/housing near similar or same species
- Monitor necropsy results

Behavioral Competence

- Captivity affects behavior
- Missed developmental opportunities
- Genetic changes from adapting to captivity
- Teaching skills is easier with some species

What can we do for behavioral competence?

- Behavioral training programs
- Teaching skills for survival

Skills for survival

- Orientation and navigation
- Foraging
- Finding suitable nest/breeding sites
- Predator avoidance

Founder Stage of Population

- Capture of wild animals for captive breeding

Growth Stage of a Population

# of births > # of deaths

Self-sustaining Stage of a population

the population is maintained at a desired stage (carrying capacity)

Reintroduction populations are typically __________.

small

What two factors are small populations greatly affected by?

- Stochasticity
- Allee Effect

Stochasticity

Random events that effect the population (disease, storms, drought)

Allee Effect

a population declines even though the numbers may seem healthy enough for breeding

What kind of species might the allee effect have more of an impact on?

- Social species
- may need a certain size social group in order to thrive

California Condors

SSP
22 left in wild when program started

Golden Lion Tamarin

- Institutions from Europe, N. America, and Brazil developed long-term recommendations for husbandry and conservation initiatives
- Upgraded from CR to EN

Puerto Rican Crested Toad

- Listed as CR in 1987
- one of the oldest SSPs

3 groups responsible for the SAFE Programs

- SAFE Species Program
- Wildlife Conservation Committee
-AZA

How many SAFE programs are there?

30

Requirements for SAFE Program Partners

- AZA-accredited/certified related facility
- have at least 2 years experience with the target species
- Program Leader must be and individual AZA member and work for an AZA facility

Responsibilities of SAFE Species Program

Develops and implements a 3-year plan for species recovery

Responsibilities for Wildlife Conservation Committee

Manages and administers SAFE

Responsibilities for AZA

-Supports WCC
- Engages members in SAFE programs
- Tracks success

Criteria for SAFE Species

- 2 or more AZA facilities (want 5 or more)
- Focus on endangered or threatened species
- Existing recovery or conservation action plan has been developed for the species
- Partners are committed to developing a program plan
- Partners commit to re-examine and update the program plans every 3 years

What are the Program Plans focused on?

- Clearly articulated
- Measurable
- Specific conservation
- Public engagement outcomes

AZA SAFE Mission

To combine the power of zoo and aquarium visitors with the resources and collective expertise of AZA members and partners to save animals from extinction, with the vision that together we are saving the most vulnerable wildlife species from extinction and protecting them for future generations.

SAFE Program Species

- Protect threatened animals in the wild

- Build on established recovery plans and track records of commitment

- Prioritize collaboration among AZA members and field-based partners

- Strategic conservation and public engagement activities

- Measure and report real conservation

Vaquita Porpoise Goal

Work with and for the people of the Upper Gulf of California to create sustainable fisheries and communities in support of thriving marine life populations

Vaquita Porpoise Current Status

- CR (

Vaquita Porpoise Actions

- Create sustainable fisheries and potential alternative livelihoods
- Remove gill nets
- Enforce gill net ban
- Monitor population with aucousitc sensors

African Lion

- EN
- Goal: increase the Number or African Lions in the wild
- Action: Public engagement, field-based partners
- AZA can support through funding and public engagement

African Painted Dog

- EN
- Goal: Increase the impact that AZA institutions have on African painted dog conservation in its 3 regions
- Action: Increase conservation Support, Raise public awareness (both in-situ and ex-situ), build relationships b/w AZA institutions and field partners

African Penguin

- EN
- Improve disaster response protocols for oil spills
- consructing artificial nests
Threats: Overfishing, Habitat degradation, and oil spills

African Vulture

- CR
- Goal: address the threat of poisoning, monitor populations, increase knowledge about population status', and increase public engagement in conservation

American turtle

- CR
- Goal: focuses on conservation efforts for multiple turtle species

American Red Wolf

- CR
- Goal: Support conservation efforts
Action: Maintaining a healthy and viable population under human care, growing education and awareness efforts, and aiding research vital to supporting recovery and management

Black-Footed Ferret

- CR
- Goal: to no longer meet the ESA's standard for endangered and is downlisted to threatened
- Action: targeted conservation, public awareness, communication, and funding actions

Eastern Indigo Snake

- Threatened
- Goal: Protect and monitor
- Action: Support restoration projects in key habitats

Tree Kangaroo

- EN
- Goal: focus on conservation efforts in the area, - -
- Action: Increase awareness in the AZA community and the local culture, support local livelihoods (conservation coffee), and enable increased funding to be raised for conservation.