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North Carolina Zoo Conservation Report North Carolina Zoo Conservation and Research International 4 Conservation Conservation is at the Heart of Everything We Do. Regional 30 Conservation © Lo ri Wi lliams Conservation © N at rd 38 Education han Shepa © D r . G ra s ham Reynold 44 Research Animal 50 Welfare Our mission is to protect wildlife and wild places and inspire people to join us in conserving the natural world. The North Carolina Zoo’s staff are dedicated to local and global wildlife conservation, educating future generations, and ensuring the best possible care and wellness for the animals under our care. Green Practices We do these things because we believe the diversity of nature is 56 & Sustainability critical for our collective future.” L. Patricia Simmons Director of North Carolina Zoo International Conservation Since 2013, the North Carolina Zoo and the Wildlife Conservation Society have partnered to conduct Tanzania’s first substantial vulture monitoring program. This important collaboration continues to provide guidance to wildlife managers in terms of the overall status of various vulture species, the impact of poisoning events as well as providing protected areas with near real-time poaching-related intelligence to guide their protection operations.” Aaron Nicholas Program Director, Ruaha-Katavi Landscape, Tanzania, Wildlife Conservation Society Tracking Tanzania’s Vultures Vultures are currently the fastest declining Since 2013, the Zoo has worked across group of birds globally, and several African southern Tanzania in two important vulture vulture species are considered Critically strongholds encompassing over 150,000 km2: Endangered. The primary threat to vultures the Ruaha-Katavi landscape and Nyerere is poisoning - often from livestock carcasses National Park. Led by the Zoo’s Dr. Corinne poisoned by people attempting to kill lions or Kendall, the goal of this work is to conserve hyenas, which occasionally prey upon their southern Tanzania’s vulture populations cows or goats. Vultures are wide-ranging and by reducing poisoning. Our approach is congregate at carcasses. A single poisoning multifaceted. We monitor vulture population event can have a catastrophic effect on abundance over time, use satellite telemetry vultures, and poisonings are also leading to to discover poisoning events, train rangers in declines in carnivores, such as lions. Therefore, rapid response protocols for poisoning events, finding effective solutions to address poisoning monitor lead levels in tagged vultures, and will save not only vultures, but also carnivores. build partnerships to improve collaboration on coordinated conservation strategies. Katavi, 45 0 Ruaha 140 vultures rangers poisonings in & Nyerere Ruaha National trained in rapid National Parks tagged Park since response Tanzania February 2018 6 | International Conservation International Conservation | 7 Using SMART Technology to Protect Wildlife Around the World In partnership with some of the world’s Information on animals, illegal activities and largest conservation organizations, the Zoo conservation actions taken are recorded and helped to develop the Spatial Monitoring and then fed into a central database. This allows Reporting Tool (SMART; the data to be quickly analyzed, visualized, smartconservationtools. mapped and acted upon so that park managers org) and found the can rapidly respond to threats. Transforming SMART Partnership. raw data into usable information helps SMART is the leading managers allocate their time and resources protected area more effectively and better protect wildlife. management tool Through our leadership in the SMART globally - used in more Partnership and the development of SMART than 850 sites in over 65 technologies, the Zoo has had a significant countries and adopted as impact on wildlife conservation around the the national tool for park world. However, the Zoo also directly supports management in SMART use at more than 20 sites across 18 countries. seven countries in Africa, which are critical for SMART allows rangers the conservation of iconic wildlife, like black working on the ground rhinos, Cross River gorillas, elephants, lions, to use ruggedized and many other species. In addition to training smartphones to record hundreds of rangers across Africa, the Zoo has local SMART implementation partners. With data about what they encounter in the field, also provided technical support, equipment, SMART, the Zoo is not only putting powerful and track where their patrols go. funding, and even infrastructure, to its technology in the hands of rangers, we are giving them the advantage they need to be one step ahead of poachers. SMART is an inspiring example of global collaboration and partnerships, and the positive impact they can have on research and conservation projects around the world.” Dan Ashe President and CEO Association of Zoos and Aquariums 8 | International Conservation International Conservation | 9 SMART is a really important tool to help us protect gorillas in Nigeria. Technical support from North Carolina Zoo helped set up SMART at five sites in Nigeria and annual refresher training ensures that SMART is updated and works effectively.” Andrew Dunn Country Director WCS Nigeria Program Conserving Africa’s Most Endangered Ape Nigeria’s Cross River Led by the Zoo’s Dr. Rich Bergl, we have region is one of been working to help save these gorillas by Africa’s most important supporting better protection in the wild and by biodiversity hotspots, researching the threat posed by diseases to the but its wildlife are under gorillas. By working to conserve these gorillas, significant threat from our efforts serve as an umbrella for the rest poaching and habitat of the region’s biodiversity, with action taken loss, made worse by to preserve the gorillas helping to ensure the some of the highest conservation of many other plant and ©WCS Nigeria human population animal species. densities in the world. monitor illegal activities at all its sites. to see if diseases may be transmitted to the The Cross River gorilla, Working closely with our partners, at Wildlife Using SMART has contributed to a significant gorillas. Results from the current genetic and found only in a few small, Conservation Society (WCS) Nigeria, the Zoo increase in patrol effort (67%), a drastic parasitology work are still pending, but initial mountainous pockets has trained, equipped, and supported rangers reduction in hunting pressure (71%), and data suggest the presence of several human of forest along the to better protect this species in the wild. These stable or slightly increasing wildlife pathogens in the gorilla population. This Nigeria-Cameroon efforts have become a case study on the use populations at all WCS sites in Nigeria since information will help us better understand border, is the most of SMART conservation software in the region, implementation began. the health and genetics of the small endangered ape in and the team on the ground has become a remaining gorilla population, and will improve Africa, with only global SMART leader. SMART has helped WCS Working with Emory University, the Zoo conservation planning efforts to reduce threats about 300 Nigeria to improve the effectiveness of law is also researching disease in Cross River to both gorillas and the people who live in individuals remaining. enforcement patrols and to more efficiently gorillas, humans, and livestock populations communities near the gorillas’ habitat. 10 | International Conservation International Conservation | 11 To date, we have set up SMART-based Conserving Carnivores Across Africa monitoring systems and trained staff in 14 Populations of large carnivores like lions, protected areas across the region. Improved cheetahs, and wild dogs, are declining across training and monitoring has resulted in both all of Africa. Lions in particular have suffered increased motivation of rangers and greater due to poaching, unintentional snaring, and success protecting wildlife. retaliation for livestock predation. As a result, the lion population has declined by nearly 50% The range of West African lions has been across Africa since the 1990s. If these declines reduced by 99% and only 500 individuals are not reversed, many African carnivores remain in the wild. The Zoo also works with may face extinction. The Zoo supports the Wildlife Conservation Society in Nigeria ©Sebastian Kennerknecht/Panthera conservation efforts in numerous key sites for to protect Yankari Game Reserve, home carnivore conservation across Africa, including to Nigeria’s last population of lions and implementing SMART anti-poaching programs, elephants, in addition to other wildlife. The to help protect these species and the national critical for the survival of lions, cheetahs, Zoo helped implement SMART in Yankari, parks on which they depend. African wild dogs, and other carnivores. which has improved anti-poaching strategies Improving conservation law enforcement is and contributed to no poached elephants in Since 2014, we have worked with our partner, essential because carnivores in the region Yankari since May 2015. These improved anti- Panthera, to support anti-poaching work are under unprecedented pressure from both poaching patrols are benefiting all wildlife, and in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in areas poaching, and reductions in prey populations. populations of many other large mammals at Yankari are now recovering. SMART has transformed the way that conservation is being managed in Southern Kafue Africa, and with North Carolina Zoo’s support,
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