conservation Archives : Jenny Wren Rambles

Eco-tours: Visiting the Oriental Stork in Hyogo Japan

Over spring break I took a few days off to visit some Hyogo attractions: Kinosaki Onsen (hot springs) and the Oriental White Stork Park. The hot springs were to relax, but the stork park was to learn about a local conservation success.

The Oriental White Stork

In case you missed my last post covering the storks’ biology and conservation history, here is a quick overview. The Oriental White stork is a large white bird with black feather tips that lives in wetlands and eats a variety of smaller animals like fish, frogs, and small mammals. It went locally extinct in Japan in 1971, but through captive breeding, habitat restoration, and reintroduction programs it has made a comeback with approximately 90 birds living wild in Japan again.

My first stork sighting

Hopping on the Kounotori Limited Express to Kinosaki Onsen, I sat back and enjoyed watching the countryside fly past the window for the 3-hour journey from Osaka. In Japan, you never know what you might see through the train windows. Rice paddies, small villages, cherry blossoms.

A view from the train window, passing a small park with cherry blossoms

In my case, I saw something very large and white fly past as the train ran alongside a river. Too large for an egret I thought. Could it be a stork? Unfortunately, it was going in the opposite direction of the train so I only had a quick glimpse, but I think it might’ve been my very first Oriental stork sighting. Thanks to breeding and reintroduction efforts, wild Oriental storks are living in Japan again and if you’re in the Toyooka area you might spot one of them along the rivers where they can hunt for food. I can’t say for sure that I spotted one, but I think the chances are good. In any case, don’t forget to look out the windows occasionally because you never know what you might be missing.

Kinosaki Onsen Station

If you’re not familiar with Japanese, you might not have noticed what is special about the express train’s name. Kounotori is the Japanese name for the Oriental stork and the limited express train that runs to Toyooka and Kinosaki Onsen is named after it. Arriving in Kinosaki, you will also see artwork and souvenirs depicting the storks, from postcards to daruma dolls and station artwork. You can tell that the people here are very proud of the storks and that they’re a part of the local culture. I enjoyed wondering when I would see something stork-related pop up while I was walking around the town. The stork daruma dolls were tempting but my goal was to take some pictures of the storks so I managed to resist.

Hachigoro Toshima Wetlands

After taking a day to relax at the hot springs and another to do some sightseeing in nearby Izushi, I planned my last day to focus on the storks. The first stop on my stork itinerary was the Hachigoro wetlands.

Hachigoro wetlands, photo credit Visit Kinosaki website

The wetlands are named after one of the first wild oriental storks to migrate back to the Toyooka area. They are a short walk or bike ride from Kinosaki onsen so they are very easy to visit. I rented a bike from one of the visitor information facilities first thing in the morning, then headed down the road along the train tracks and took a left onto the blue bridge. Stopping on the bridge to take a few photos, I paused to enjoy the cool and quiet of the river and watch the swallows flit around me before continuing on my way.

Crossing the bridge to get to Hachigoro Toshima wetlands

On the other side of the bridge was a surprise. An oriental stork nest, just past the bridge and on top of a utility pole. The male and female were both standing on top of the nest, but after a moment one flew off towards the river. Its partner remained at the nest, rearranging sticks. I couldn’t believe I was already getting an up-close view of wild storks! I grabbed my camera and took a few shots before continuing to the wetland area, just a short distance up the road.

Stork nest on the other side of the bridge

Hachigoro wetlands is a wetland habitat for waterfowl that was converted from rice fields and sits in a floodplain near the Maruyama river. It has one artificial nesting platform near the edge of the woods that is in use by a pair of oriental storks. Visitors can only access one side of the wetland so that they don’t disturb the birds. As you approach, you will see there is an observation shelter you can go inside with open windows looking out over the water. There are a couple of benches as well as information panels showcasing some of the species you may see. I sat on one of the benches and spent some time quietly watching and trying to take some pictures. It was a bright and sunny day and although there didn’t seem to be many birds out, I was able to see some egrets and ducks as well as the nesting pair of storks in the distance.

The artificial nest platform is set back farther away from the shelter so if you want a good view you should plan on bringing either a very large zoom lens, binoculars, or a viewing telescope. I’m still very much an amateur when it comes to birding so I don’t have my own binoculars and rely on my camera’s zoom to get a closer look. That being said, you can still enjoy watching the birds without binoculars and you don’t need a telescope to enjoy listening to the storks’ beak clattering.

Map of the wetlands showing the stork nest and observation shelter.

Cafe Lamp Eye

After quietly watching for a bit I made my way over to Cafe Lamp Eye for some breakfast. This cute cafe is just past the wetlands, a minute or so walk through the parking lot, and across the street. The interior reminded me of a cozy grandparent’s house with comfy floral couches and an assortment of armchairs and tables to choose from. The morning air was still a little chilly so they had a portable heater set up in the room, adding to the cozy atmosphere.

I took a seat in one of the armchairs set up in front of a table with a view of the cherry blossom trees in the back garden. Sinking into the chair, I felt an urge to stay there all day with a bit of crochet or a book to read. I ordered some fruit waffles for breakfast (absolutely delicious) and took my time to enjoy the food and atmosphere before finally pulling myself up out of the armchair to pay and head to my next destination.

Hyogo Oriental Stork Park

My second stork stop was the Hyogo Park of the Oriental Stork in Toyooka. After returning my bike I went back to my hostel to pick up my bag and catch a bus to Toyooka station. It’s a bit of a bus ride to Toyooka, and another to the stork park, so I would recommend eating before you go as I later found out the food options there are very limited. On the bright side, there is a direct bus to the park from Toyooka station so you won’t get lost and you can also buy food or small lunchboxes from the station convenience store before you go. Once there however there is only one cafe that serves pizza, some coffee, and drinks, and the food orders end around 3:00.

After catching the bus, I arrived at the park around 2:00 and headed straight in, not realizing I was setting myself up for a very hungry afternoon. Entry to the park is a small 100 yen donation which comes with an oriental stork origami gift, and they do have English instructions and an English park pamphlet you can ask for. The museum itself also has a good amount of English information on the displays; most of the information about the storks and their conservation seemed to have English translations with only some of the specimen displays or smaller displays being Japanese only.

Stork origami, bird specimens, and oriental stork information in English

In the entrance area, there were some bird specimens of egrets, herons, and storks and in one of the education rooms, they had a side-by-side specimen display of the Oriental and White storks so you can see their differences.

Left: White stork, orange beak, black skin around dark eyes Right: Oriental stork, black beak, red skin around white eye

Observation Cages

Out through the back is the captive stork observation cages, biotope, and nature trail. The cages have terraced pools for the storks to wade in but most were hanging out inside their eating area. When I came back later a few came out and were wading in the water closer to the fence so I could get some better pictures. At the biotope past the cages, I could see insects flying around and listen to the many frogs croaking. There’s also a nature trail you can take into the forest a bit but I passed on it this time around as I was on a bit of a time crunch.

A short walk up the road from the museum is another biotope and an observation area for the breeding cages. You can really only see into one of the cages and you can’t get very close to it, but up on the hill is another observation point with binoculars and a display showing videos and information about the breeding cages.

Final Thoughts

The Hyogo Park of the Oriental Stork is a great way to learn about the storks and a nice area to walk around and take in some of the natural landscape. Depending on your timing, you might be able to see some more of the wild storks hanging out in the terraced pools and nearby fields. Hachigoro Toshima wetlands are also a nice area for some relaxed birding and a chance to see some wild storks. Both are affordable attractions to visit at the low low prices of free (Hachigoro wetland) and 100 yen ( ~$1, Oriental Stork Park) and are easy to visit from the Kinosaki Onsen area for a conservation or wildlife-focused day trip. I definitely enjoyed my time visiting and would love to bring my family for a visit someday.

If you want to see some of my pictures from my trip, or an abridged storyline of it, check out my Instagram and the Oriental Stork highlight on my profile.

For more about visiting the storks and the Kinosaki or Toyooka area, check out the Visit Kinosaki website.

Conservation Tales: The Oriental White Stork in Japan

If asked to name an iconic bird of Japan, most people would probably go for the red-crowned crane. Though rare, it is captured in many works of art, folk tales, and even company logos. Known for its elegant dancing during mating season, it is often featured in nature films and photography about Japan.

If you’ve paid attention to the title of this post though, you have probably realized this is not the bird I will be talking about. I’ll save that for a different day. Today I’d like to tell the story of another large rare Japanese bird: the Oriental white stork.

Description

The oriental white stork shares the red-crowned crane’s color scheme, with a mostly white body and black wing feathers. Although it is smaller than the more famous crane, it is still a sizeable bird at 43-59 in (110-150 cm) tall, roughly 6.2-13 lb (2.8-5.9 kg), and with a 7.3 ft (2.2 m) wingspan. Similar in appearance to the European white stork, it can be told apart by its black beak, red skin around the eyes, and white irises.

Historic and Current Range

Oriental stork distribution map By © Sémhur / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19083437

The oriental stork was historically found across Asia, from the Siberian region of Russia and Northeast China to the Korean Peninsula, Japan, and further south with some birds wintering in parts of India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Phillippines.

It became locally extinct in the Korean Peninsula and Japan in 1971. As a result of conservation efforts, the oriental stork has returned to Korea and Japan and most of the population appears to be found in China, with smaller population clusters in Russia, Korea, Japan. They are less commonly seen in other parts of Asia such as India and the Philippines.

Diet and Behavior

Storks are carnivores and eat a range of insects, small invertebrates, fish, amphibians, small reptiles, and small mammals. In Japan, they are a top predator in their wetland ecosystem, and their presence an indicator of a healthy habitat. The Oriental white storks mainly hunt by wading in wetland or river edge areas as well as rice paddies.

They are migratory birds that travel to breed or winter in other areas and are usually solitary except during breeding season. They nest in tall trees or man-made structures such as electricity poles or nesting platforms. They do not have much in the way of vocalization and mainly communicate by loudly clattering their beaks.

Road to Decline

While the oriental stork was once widespread in Asia, the species has declined and is considered endangered. The main threats and reasons for its decline are hunting, habitat loss, and other effects of human development and industrialization such as prey loss and environmental pollution.

In Japan, the storks were initially able to live alongside humans and hunt for prey in the flooded rice fields. But as agriculture became more industrialized, it soon led to problems for the storks and other smaller species that lived or hunted there. With industrialization, traditional farming practices were changed for higher rice production. Heavy use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers not only reduced the storks’ natural prey but also led to the buildup of mercury and other chemicals in their bodies, a process known as biomagnification, which left them sick and unable to breed.

Traditional practices where fields were connected to natural waterways and left flooded for longer periods in the year were altered; concrete irrigation and drainage isolated from the fields prevented natural movement of aquatic species like fish, and fields left flooded for a shorter period meant that tadpoles didn’t have time to develop into frogs, further reducing the prey population. These factors coupled with the loss of natural nesting sites from logging of the pine forests led to the decline of the species in Japan.

The last wild birds were seen in 1971 in Toyooka, and after their deaths, the stork was declared extinct in Japan.

Conservation Timeline

Capture and Breeding

With the wild stork population at risk of local extinction, the oriental white stork was designated a special natural monument, and protection groups were established to help conserve the species from 1956. At this time, there were only 20 wild birds left in Japan. As the number of wild storks continued to decline, plans were made to set up a captive breeding facility.

By 1963 their numbers had dwindled to just 11 birds and an attempt was made to remove eggs from the wild to incubate in captivity. Unfortunately, their efforts were unsuccessful. The next step was to capture some of the few remaining wild birds for captive breeding. From 1963 to February 1971, three wild adult birds were caught and taken into the breeding center. In May of 1971, the last wild stork was captured in Toyooka but subsequently died resulting in the local extinction of the stork in Japan.

In 1985, Russia sent 6 young storks to Japan to help bolster the captive breeding population. Finally, in 1989, the captive Russian storks successfully bred and raised a chick. From this point on, the captive storks have successfully raised chicks every year.

Reintroductions

As the captive population grew, plans for re-introduction to the wild were formed and additional facilities, such as the Hyogo Park of the Oriental White Stork were developed. From 1999 on, the breeding population was added to with birds from zoos within Japan as well as wild birds from Russia. By 2002, the captive population had risen to over 100, and the first captive-bred birds were released in 2005. Two years later, in 2007, the first chick from reintroduced storks fledged in the wild.

Since then, captive breeding and re-introductions in Japan have continued along with efforts to restore and protect the storks’ habitat. And in 2014, the Graduate School of Regional Resource Management was established on the grounds of the Hyogo Park of the Oriental Stork to support the sustainable management of natural resources.

Conservation Initiatives

Stork friendly rice-growing methods

Stork-friendly rice cultivation. From Visit Kinosaki: Stork Natural Rice webpage

For the storks to thrive again, it was crucial to restore their habitat. Stork-friendly farming methods were established and supported by government subsidies to encourage rice farmers to change their methods. This includes a 75-100% reduction of pesticide and fertilizer use and a return to leaving rice paddies flooded for a longer period. Reduction of pesticides allows natural prey to survive for the storks to feed on and prevents bio-accumulation of chemicals which could hinder storks’ ability to breed again. Leaving the fields flooded also provides additional habitat for waterfowl and prey such as frogs and insects.

Wetland Restoration

While storks can find prey in rice paddies and co-exist with organic farming methods, they need more habitat than that to thrive. In addition to the stork-friendly rice-growing methods, the city of Toyooka has established several habitats for wetland preservation. These include the Hachigoro Toshima wetland, Kaya wetland, Maruyama river, Tai wetland, rice paddy biotope, and lower Maruyama river.

Hachigoro wetlands. Image from Visit Kinosaki website

Some of these are wetlands or biotopes converted from unused rice paddy fields. These expand the habitat and feeding areas for the storks as well as function as natural corridors connecting wetland areas. Along the rivers, wetland areas and shallows are created to expand habitat and foraging areas for the storks. These habitats benefit not only the storks, but the species they feed on, such as insects, fish, and amphibians, and other waterfowl.

Current Status

While the stork has rebounded thanks to captive breeding and habitat restoration efforts, the population in Japan is still small. There are approximately 95 storks in captivity and 90 in the wild. The main location of breeding and conservation efforts is the Toyooka area in Hyogo Prefecture. As the captive population grew, reintroductions have expanded to other prefectures such as Chiba and Fukui. Worldwide, the population is estimated to be between 1,000-2,500 mature individuals.

Where to see them:

In addition to habitat restoration and stork-friendly farming methods, Toyooka city has also become an ecotourism spot to see the storks. From local schoolchildren to international tourists, university students, and researchers, visitors to the park and other nearby attractions have increased over the years with over 1,000 package tours sold since 2006. But if package tours aren’t your thing, no worries. It is very easy to see them on your own. And the best part is, you can pair it with a visit to the famous hot springs of Kinosaki.

Kinosaki Onsen: Hachigoro wetlands

The Hachigoro wetlands are located just outside of Kinosaki Onsen. They are free to visit and easily reached on foot or by bike from the town. Just a short ride/walk down the road and across the bridge and you will find them in no time flat. Only one side is open to the public to prevent disturbing the birds, but there is a viewing hut with some identification information and a view of the nesting platform.

Toyooka: Hyogo Park of the Oriental Stork

Captive stork viewing cage at Hyogo Park of the Oriental Stork

The Hyogo Park of the Oriental Stork can be reached with a direct bus from Toyooka station and requires only a small donation of 100 yen to enter. In the museum, you can learn more about the storks’ biology, conservation efforts, and local history. There are also many specimens of other local birds and wildlife, an education room, and videos of the storks on their nest. Outside, you can view some of the captive storks, visit a biotope, and even hike a nature trail. At the end of your visit, you can buy stork-friendly rice or other goods at the nearby souvenir stands.

Conclusion

Although the Oriental stork was once extinct in Japan, it has been brought back through the hard work and perseverance of local communities and governments as well as international cooperation with other countries that the stork calls home. The numbers are still small, but hopefully, the population will continue to grow as the Oriental stork is re-established in its historic range.

Resources and Further Reading

8 Ways Zoos and Aquariums Support Conservation

You might think a trip to a zoo or aquarium is just a fun way to spend a day out. But did you know that it’s also a great way to support conservation? While they may have originated as simple menageries to show off strange animals from foreign lands, modern zoos and aquariums are focused on saving endangered species around the world. Here are 8 ways zoos and aquariums support conservation, from education to inspiration.

1. Education & Exposure

Zoos are important points of education for visitors young and old. Through a variety of signs and interactive displays, visitors can learn about the animals and habitats they are seeing as well as the threats they face. Educational programs in the form of keeper talks, school visits, and topical displays allow visitors to engage more deeply with topics of conservation. Studies have shown that after visiting a zoological facility or participating in zoo education programs, visitors and children show an increased understanding of what biodiversity is and what actions they can take to protect it. They can also expose visitors to wildlife and conservation projects they wouldn’t have known about otherwise. With so much to see and explore, visitors are sure to find an animal or project that they connect with.

2. Funding

When you buy a ticket or a souvenir from the gift shop, where do you think that money goes? To the care of the animals, and paying the employees? Of course! But that’s not all!

Zoos and aquariums donate millions of dollars a year to support conservation projects around the world. They help fund and provide supplies for projects on the ground doing the work in the homes of threatened habitats and species. The AZA estimates that $231 million was spent last year in supporting conservation projects by AZA-accredited facilities. When you go to the zoo or aquarium for a day of fun, you are helping “fun-d” direct action to help endangered species around the world. How great is that?

Beyond the entry tickets, there may be other opportunities to donate at certain exhibits. There may be signs and donation boxes to highlight a certain species or group. Zoo Boise and Zoo Atlanta have a program where 25-50 cents from each admission ticket will go to fund a field conservation program. Visitors can then vote for which of 3 causes they want the zoo to donate to for that year. Other zoos have similar programs for visitors to choose which project the zoo supports or for them to directly contribute to a particular project.

3. Breeding & Reintroduction Programs

Photo by Matt Flores on Unsplash
Golden Lion Tamarin

Zoos have been an integral part of the breeding and reintroduction of many species. Perhaps one of the best known is the California Condor which was brought back from the brink with only a few individuals. Zoos have had success breeding and reintroducing many other species such as the Golden Lion Tamarin, Arabian oryx, and Przewalski’s horse. They have done this through carefully thought out species survival programs (SSPs). These are plans put together to consider the genetic health and diversity of populations at risk. Individuals are carefully matched up for breeding and once safe habitat is secured, they can move towards reintroducing groups of individuals into parts of their native habitat. If the reintroduction is successful, they will continue to release more individuals in the same or nearby areas where it is safe to do so.

David Sischo/Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources
Hawaii is home to a unique diversity of snails, found only on the islands and nowhere else. They have beautiful shells but unfortunately it’s estimated that over 90% of their species diversity has been lost.

And it’s not just the popular species they do this for. Zoos and aquariums also breed and release animals such as frogs and snails which may not be the most charismatic of species but are, nonetheless, an important part of their ecosystems. The Honolulu Zoo has been breeding and re-introducing an endangered species of Hawaiian snail into protected habitat. Like the Hawaiian snail, some of the species bred in zoos are locally endemic, so not only do zoos support exotic species, but they help protect and re-establish their native wildlife as well.

4. Protect Habitat

While breeding animals is important to restore populations, zoological institutions recognize that this is meaningless without healthy, protected habitat to return them to. Protecting habitat is vital for saving and restoring wild animal populations. Zoos and aquariums support this goal in 2 ways.

One is by collaborating with habitat restoration projects. With the help of volunteers, trash and invasive plant species are removed and native species are planted instead. Native plants provide food and homes for local, native wildlife and pollinators. Aquariums may organize beach cleanups to remove litter and fill holes that could trap hatching turtles. They may also establish patrols to locate and monitor nests. This helps species to recover and return to local areas.

Picture: Glenn Walker
The Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve covers 330,000 acres of wetland habitat in Queensland and serves as protected habitat and a study site for researchers and scientists.

The other way they protect habitat is by the purchase of land. Some zoos are able to purchase and set aside land to protect the habitat. Perhaps the most famous example of this is the Australia Zoo. They have purchased and set aside over 450,000 acres of native habitat across Queensland. This land is protected for wildlife to live in undisturbed. 330,000 acres of this land makes up the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve which is available for scientists to conduct ecological and conservation studies. Being able to set aside such a large amount of land is an amazing accomplishment, but not many zoos have the same star power as the Australia Zoo. That’s okay though, every little bit helps. A smaller example of this is The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens which has set aside about 1,100 acres of desert. This land has hiking trails for visitors to enjoy the natural landscape and spot wildlife. It provides a safe space for many desert critters, such as bighorn sheep and roadrunners, to roam safe away from the roads.

5. Research

Coinciding with their education goals, zoos and aquariums are also centers for research. They may have research teams on staff or work in collaboration with universities, other scientists, or research groups. And they publish their studies in a variety of scientific journals such as the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, Zoo Biology, Biology of Reproduction, and Marine Mammal science. A study on AZA contributions to peer-reviewed research found that in the 2 decades from 1993-2013, AZA organizations produced over 5,000 publications. This research contributed to understanding the biology and health of captive and wild species.

Another way they contribute to research is by collecting valuable data from captive animals that can help scientists. Two separate studies of polar bear metabolism were conducted with cooperation from polar bears at the Oregon and San Diego Zoos. Using a modified treadmill to track their gait and an accelerometer collar, scientists tried to determine the efficiency of their gait. In another study, a polar bear was trained to enter a water chamber where she would rest and then swim against the current. Scientists measured the bears’ respiration to estimate how much energy they needed to use. In both studies, they found that polar bears had much higher energy expenditures and therefore higher metabolic needs than previously thought. For wild polar bears, this means that food available on land is insufficient and they need the high-fat content of marine mammals to survive, and sea-ice to hunt them.

Research in zoos and aquariums helps us understand the biology, reproduction, and medicine for exotic species. Through this knowledge, we can better understand the effects of our changing world on wild populations. It can also assist field researchers and vets with appropriate dosages and protocols when caring for wild individuals that need to be rehabilitated, sedated, or moved.

6. Rescue & Rehabilitation

Speaking of rehabilitation, certain facilities have rehabilitation centers to take in injured wildlife and nurse them back to health. With their expertise and experience in caring for these species, they give top-notch care and a home for as long as the animal needs to recover.

Photo: Mike Baird
Otterly amazing! Monterey Bay Aquarium has been saving sea otters for 35 years!

A great example of this is the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s sea otter program. Orphaned pups are rescued, fostered by resident adults to learn otter behavior, and later released back into the wild. The success of their program is backed up by research that shows otters they have rescued and released, and their offspring, have made up more than half of the population growth in wild otters. After being hunted nearly to extinction for their fur, they have grown from a group of about 50 to about 3,000 individuals today. Having this much population growth is a big success for the species and was helped by the Aquarium’s rescue program.

Other facilities have similar programs such as The Jacksonville Zoo’s Manatee Critical Care Center and Oregon Coast Aquarium’s Bird Rehabilitation Program. And if the animal cannot be released back into the wild, they can find a permanent home at a zoo, aquarium, or sanctuary where they can help teach visitors about human impacts on wildlife or be surrogates to young rescues.

7. Share Expertise

With all of the research they participate or assist in and the constant work towards improving their standards of care, zoos and aquariums form a deep knowledge base of animal care. This knowledge is shared between facilities so they can benefit from each others’ experiences and solve problems. When they make new developments in the diet or care of an animal, this is shared among the zoo and aquarium community as well as conservation projects abroad.

ZIMS, a product of Species 360, has modules for husbandry, studbooks, education, and more

One of the ways they share this information is through ZIMS, or the Zoological Information Management System. Members of the system can input health and care data, access health and genetic records for individuals, or look at general information on species such as husbandry practices and medical care. It is used by “wildlife professionals working within zoos, aquariums, refuge, research, and education centers in 97 countries” and with about 1,200 institutional members is “the world’s largest set of wildlife data.” This data can assist with field conservation efforts around the world and the extensive information on species reproduction (rate, survival, success in captivity) can even help wildlife officials identify possible wildlife trafficking in species that are being passed off as captive-bred.

8. Inspire

And finally, one of the last ways zoos and aquariums help conservation is by serving as a source of inspiration. No matter how clear or exciting the picture on a screen, it can never compare to experiencing an animal in person. Experiencing the difference in size, feeling the roar of a lion in your chest, or the light reflecting off vibrant scales, skin, or feathers. Having that personal experience, the connection to another life we see in front of us is what inspires us to do better. It is what kindles a passion and love for nature that lasts a lifetime and creates a new generation of scientists, conservationists, and naturalists.

Photo by David Clode on Unsplash
Emerald Tree Boa

One of my earliest zoo memories was a family visit. I remember going through the reptile room and excitedly running up to a tank set in the wall with an Emerald tree boa curled up on a branch. This was a snake I had seen in my favorite TV programs on animal planet and in books. A living jewel, and there it was right before my eyes. Staring in awe, I told my dad what species it was, excited twice over to know the name of this emerald given life. I can’t pinpoint exactly when I became interested in animals, but it is surely these magical trips that helped cultivate my interests and passion to protect and care for the diversity of life on our planet.

Zoos and aquariums inspire and connect us with the biodiversity on our Earth. Although we may not notice, there are many ways behind the scenes that they are supporting conservation projects and initiatives. By purchasing a ticket and attending an accredited facility, you are helping fund programs to save threatened species around the world. And by becoming educated on the threats they face and the ways you can help them, you can take direct action in your own life to help them too.

The next time you look for a zoo or facility to visit, check out their website to see what they’re working on. Many places will have a section that explains the conservation initiatives they are working on. And if you know of any great initiatives at your local zoo or aquarium, let me know! I love hearing about all the cool projects going on.

References/Additional Reading

My First Online Conservation Expo

During the monotony of my stay-at-home work schedule, I needed something to do. Scrolling through the Facebook feed, I came across a post for a virtual conservation expo in one of the wildlife groups. I’ve never attended a real conservation expo let alone a virtual one, so I thought I’d sign up and see what happens.

The only problem was it was on US time which meant I would have to be up at 12:30 AM. I opted for a short power nap before waking up and watching about half of the conference. After that, I had to go back to sleep so I could function like a normal person for the rest of the day. Throughout the presentations, I took some notes so I will share some of those and my thoughts from each presentation below.

I watched presentations for 4 different animal projects as well as a COVID-19 panel. If you don’t feel like reading through each one I have a summary of some of the main themes at the bottom. The full recordings of the expo are also available online if you’re interested in seeing some of the other presentations or getting more info on the different conservation projects.

Save the Elephants

In the “Save the Elephants” panel, they started by explaining some of the effects of the pandemic and other pressures in Africa. In addition to the virus, Africa has also had locust swarms to deal with, destroying their crops. These two things have affected jobs and food supply which could potentially increase conflict with elephants as pastoralists seek new areas to graze livestock and compete for resources with elephants and other wildlife.

They then covered some of the reasons why elephants were important for the ecosystem, such as their role as ecosystem architects, creating and maintaining habitats for other species. They are also important seed distributors, carrying the seeds across large distances and then depositing them with a healthy amount of fertilizer. One fact that surprised me was that forests with elephants absorb more CO2 than forests without.

Finally, they described some of what the community needs were to better coexist with the elephants. The main need was education access so that they could get better jobs and so the women would have better outcomes as well.

Painted Dog Conservation

This panel was very interesting to me as they mentioned the need to understand some of the social and historical biases against the dogs. In the past, they were viewed as a pest and a threat to livestock. So people were paid for every wild dog they killed. Communities also believed that they spread rabies and distemper to their village dogs, when in fact it’s the reverse. Village dogs are the ones that spread distemper and rabies to the wild dogs.

I was impressed with the focus on community outreach and addressing the community’s needs in order to help the wild dogs. To ease the worry of the wild dogs spreading diseases to the village dogs, they established a vaccination program for the village dogs. They also had a snare removal program, which is beneficial to the villagers because the snares set for the wild dogs can also catch and kill their livestock. They’ve even considered community health and started a “Dog Run” for people to socialize and stay fit. But perhaps the most impressive was the efforts they’d made for education.

African Painted dogs are also known as African Wild dogs, but I think “painted” better describes their looks.
Photo by Steve Hillman on Unsplash

At the local schools, they established nutritional gardens to help feed and improve the health of the village. That way, the children could stay in school and provide food for their families, reducing the poaching pressure. Also, they established an environmental education program so that the children could understand and connect with their local wildlife. They do this through game drives and wildlife films so that the kids can have a positive experience of their wildlife instead of fearing it. By educating and accounting for the community’s needs, they were able to change public opinion and get the painted dogs protected in Zimbabwe.

While taking care of the community is important, they are still looking out for the painted dogs. They have a rehabilitation center where they can bring dogs badly injured by snares to recover and be released later. But painted dogs are highly social animals that live in packs, so what they do with rescued individuals? They pair them together to create new packs. And they don’t just rescue dogs injured from human snares, they will also take in dogs badly injured from natural causes. This is because the population as a whole is in decline, and with numbers so low every dog counts. Just one of the dogs they rescued and re-released eventually led to 137 new dogs born into the area.

Niassa Lion Project Q&A

In between some of the panels, there was the chance to join one of 4 live Q&As with other conservation projects. I decided to watch the Niassa Lion Project Q&A and they did not disappoint. To start they talked about the elephants and the bees.

No, this isn’t “the talk” this is a creative strategy to relieve human-elephant conflict, protect habitat, and provide an income stream to the villagers. It works like this: elephants are afraid of bees. So to prevent elephants from entering human areas, they essentially make a fence of beehives. The bees keep the elephants away, and the villagers can sell the honey as elephant sustainable for extra income. I had heard of this before, but what I didn’t know was that the hives can also be placed to protect habitat. The bees need the natural vegetation to create honey, so they can’t clear the land. And because the hives provide income with their honey, there is less need to clear land for additional crops or livestock.
Small changes go a long way

Dealing with predators can be contentious, and often out of fear people will turn to killing first. But sometimes, all that’s needed is a small change. And that can go a long way in reducing human-lion conflict. The Niassa Lion project educates people on reducing dangerous behaviors so they do not become a target of lions. Behaviors such as sleeping outside, walking late at night, or walking drunk can make humans a target because they are alone, out at the same time as the lions, and may look weak and ill. By simply avoiding these humans can reduce their chances of being attacked. They also found that if they raised goats instead of cattle, lions were less likely to target their livestock.

Finally, they brought up the need to diversify the income streams. During the pandemic, the major halt of travel has left a lot of conservation projects short on volunteers and volunteer money, as well as tourist revenue. But a major epidemic or pandemic is not the only thing that can halt the flow of visitors. Natural disasters, conflict, and economic crises can also affect people’s ability or willingness to visit different areas. So there is a need to develop new strategies and jobs so that they do not become over-reliant on tourism.

COVID-19 Panel

Photo by Fusion Medical Animation on Unsplash

This panel had a lot of interesting information.

To start, they talked a little about emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) and the role of wildlife, and wildlife markets, in their spread. Over half of infectious diseases in humans are zoonotic, or diseases that can jump from animals to humans. COVID-19 is an EID, and most EIDs originate in wildlife. So there is a clear danger with the extensive and illegal trade in wildlife for another pandemic or spillover event to occur. In recent decades, there have been multiple events where diseases have jumped from animals to humans. And they’re happening more often and with greater consequences, as we can see with the COVID-19 pandemic.

For these reasons (in addition to many others) they are trying to end the wildlife trade. Interestingly, their focus is on wildlife restaurants and the urban trade and consumption of wildlife. Thinking about it, this makes sense as there is a larger population in urban areas and therefore higher demand. They also wanted to get behind the current shift in public opinion which is turning against wildlife markets and the consumption of wildlife, especially in China which is a major market.

Wet market in Hong Kong
Photo by Natalie Ng on Unsplash

Some interesting points they brought up about the consumption of wildlife. First, they wanted to differentiate between commercial wildlife markets and indigenous subsistence living. They are not trying to prevent indigenous communities from living from the land and feeding themselves. They are trying to prevent the largescale poaching and overexploitation of wildlife for human use. No, animal parts don’t have magic curative properties and no, your desire to show off your wealth does not validate mutilating scores of wildlife to put in your banquet. The second point they brought up was: what is the difference between bushmeat and game?

I hadn’t given it much thought before but I always had the impression that bushmeat was like poached meat, illegally taken, from endangered species or species I wouldn’t normally consider eating (like primates). Whereas I associated game meat as wild meat regulated by the government and of animals like deer and ducks. Turns out though, they’re basically the same. Bushmeat and game meat are both taken from wild animals. The only real difference is that the term “game” is used for meat in western countries like the US and England while bushmeat is used for meat in Africa. Essentially the same thing but with very different connotations. Interesting.

Finally, they talked about the need to educate how to cohabitate with wildlife, and not kill them out of fear. While it hasn’t been fully confirmed which animal COVID-19 jumped from, there is the possibility it came from bats. Unfortunately, this had the panelists worried for bat conservation. Conservationists have already had to work hard against the negative stereotypes against bats and people’s fear of them. They worry that the pandemic may set their progress back as people may fear getting diseases from them again. We need to be careful to not jump to conclusions or retaliatory action against wildlife.

Okapi Conservation Project

The final panel I watched (before I finally had to sleep) was for okapi conservation. The okapi is known as the shy cousin of the giraffe. They live in the jungles of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and are classified as endangered.

This panel explained some of the pressures for okapi. To start, their home in the Congo has had a lot of problems. Ebola, civil war, and conflict have created disturbances and pressures for wildlife. Additional threats are poaching, logging, mining, and slash and burn agriculture. Not only is their habitat being destroyed, but the workers will also hunt them for meat. As a shy, solitary creature, the okapi is very sensitive to any human activity or disturbance in the forest. So even if they manage to evade the hunters, all of the additional disturbances can still impact their ability to survive by scaring them off and preventing natural behavior.

Okapi are also known as the “forest giraffe”. They are actually related to giraffes and are in the same family.
Photo by Brian McGowan on Unsplash

To counteract these pressures, this project is trying to introduce better agricultural practices to reduce the need to constantly clear more land for planting. By keeping the soil healthy and growing food sustainably, they can keep planting in the same spot. They are also introducing foods that are of more nutritional value so that it can better sustain them. Besides trying to improve their food supply and nutrition, they have also built a medical facility that accommodates the local culture. In the culture of the local indigenous tribe, they have to have a fire inside their home. So they built the medical facility so that patients could have a fire inside their room.

Another key point was the partnership and support from zoos. The okapi conservation project works with zoos to help educate people about the plight of the okapi, and 85% of the zoos that care for okapi provide financial support for the okapi project. Zoos provide a significant amount of funding and exposure for the project throughout the US and Europe. I imagine this is a big help as it can be difficult to secure funding in countries dealing with conflict.

TLDR: The Gist of Things

If you didn’t want to read all that, here are the main points.

Effects of the Pandemic

One of the main ways this pandemic was affecting conservation was the loss of income. The need to social distance, and prevent the spread of infection, as well as the drop in tourism, has affected locals’ ability to work. If they are unable to provide for their family (monetarily or nutritionally) this can increase the pressure on wildlife through poaching. There is also the chance that progress in bat conservation in shifting public perception of bats may be set back because of the possibility of bats being a source for the coronavirus. So there is a need to educate how to safely coexist with wildlife (including bats) without allowing new biases to develop.

Education

Across the board, education was a large part of conservation projects’ efforts to protect species. Not just education about the animals and their ecological importance, but educating the communities on how to safely coexist with them. Small changes to their behavior, such as avoiding walking drunk outside and raising goats instead of cattle, reduced human-lion conflict in Niassa. Some projects have established environmental education programs for children to have a positive experience learning about and connecting to their local wildlife.

Education was also important for improving economic outcomes for locals. Projects help support schools and provide training so that locals have the skills to get better jobs and support their families without resorting to poaching. And while on the ground projects were educating local communities, spreading education and awareness through zoos was also an important aspect of getting the message out about these species and the threats they face.

Social/Community Programs

In their efforts to protect wildlife, conservation did not forget community needs. Every project whose panel I watched had some community program or facility that they helped develop to improve the lives of the locals. This ranged from a medical facility that accommodated indigenous tribes’ culture to better agricultural practices that reduced the need to clear habitat and provided more nutrition and food for the communities. Some of these practices even led to new sources of income. At the Niassa Lion project, they used beehives to save habitat from being cleared and act as a natural elephant fence. Villagers were then able to collect the honey and sell it as elephant sustainable, providing additional income to the farmers.

Direct Action

While taking care of the community and educating about wildlife is certainly important, let’s not forget that these projects do take direct action to help endangered species. Snare removal programs reduce the direct poaching/hunting threat to wildlife as well as help farmers whose livestock can also become trapped and die. Vaccination programs for village dogs prevent the spread of disease to their wild counterparts as well as alleviate local concerns for their pets’ health. And finally, rehabilitation facilities help save injured individuals and potentially increase the population. Painted Dog Conservation rehabilitated and released 1 dog which eventually led to an additional 137 being born into the African Painted Dog population.

Zoo Partnerships/Support

Zoos play an important role in conservation. At the beginning of the expo, they mentioned that zoos were an important source of funding for on the ground conservation programs. This was later reiterated by the Okapi Conservation Project who said they rely on zoos for funding support and exposure. Zoos also help educate and spread the conservation message to the public, so that more people are aware of the challenges these species face and how they can help.

So that was my first online conservation expo. The full expo recording would be posted later online, so technically there was no need for me to lose sleep to try and watch. But that wouldn’t be as fun would it? I enjoyed hearing directly from the different projects (and even a brief intro by Jane Goodall!) and finding new conservation accounts to follow on Instagram. While I would love to attend an expo live, I think it’s great that they are becoming more available online to watch the recordings after the expo or to watch live. That way, people who couldn’t normally attend due to cost or inability to travel can still participate and learn.

If you are interested in watching, I will have the link for this expo down below and linked in the text. If you watch, tell me what you think! Which panel did you watch? Did anything surprise you? Comment here on the blog or on my Facebook page, I’d love to hear from you!