© Steve and Ann Toon Zoos and Save the Rhino International: Working together to save rhinos Between April 2019 and March 2020, our zoo partners Working together for contributed a phenomenal £179,968 for rhino conservation efforts. rhino conservation Total zoo contributions for in situ rhino conservation programmes via Save the Rhino International. Zoos have an incredible capacity zoo community and Save the Rhino £200,000 to play a powerful role in the International have worked together £179,968 conservation of endangered to deliver vital rhino conservation species, both in ex situ settings efforts across Africa and Asia. Many and for in situ populations. of our zoo partners have supported £150,000 the work of field programmes for a With zoos in the EAZA (European number of years; their commitment Association of Zoos and Aquaria) to funding key in situ conservation £100,000 network welcoming 140 million efforts for consecutive years is visitors a year, zoos have a essential to deliver positive impact prominent platform to share for rhino populations and respond £73,291 Total zoo contributions in GBP Total £50,000 conservation messages with the to the conservation finance gap that 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 public and, through close remains perilously wide. 2 2 2 2 2 /2 /2 / / / / / 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 encounters with wildlife, to inspire 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 visitors to become active Donations from zoos in 2019-20 far 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Financial year supporters of in situ conservation exceeded the average efforts. annual zoo contributions in recent years, in part thanks to Since our collaboration on the collaborations on new campaigns 2005-2006 EAZA ‘Save the involving significant grants from a Rhinos’ campaign, the European number of our zoo partners.

All images © Mark Carwardine © Sam Bond 3 4 One such grant was from conserving viable populations of Wilhelma Zoological and Botanical Critically Endangered rhinos (with Garden, Stuttgart, which became a the long-term aim of each Strategic Partner of the Sumatran species being down-listed to a Rhino Rescue project, pledging lower category of threat in the $100,000 over two years to IUCN Red List), we are now support efforts to rescue this working to achieve this goal by Critically Endangered species from focusing on the following areas: the brink of extinction. Another was £25,000 generously donated 1. Protection, law enforcement, by the Zoological Society of East intelligence and investigations Anglia for aerial surveillance in 2. Biological management Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South 3. Stopping illegal markets Africa, in celebration of the 4. Building capacity Society’s 50th anniversary. 5. Coordination 6. Societal relevance Whilst recent years have seen 7. Sustainable, adequate financing steady declines in the number of rhinos poached, the situation remains dire. In South Africa alone, one rhino was killed for its horns every 15 hours in 2019. Clearance of land for human © Tristan Vince © Tristan settlement, agricultural production and logging also continues to increase. This is a major threat to rhinos that need space to thrive, hampering their ability to recover and increase their populations. These key threats of poaching and habitat loss remain the biggest challenges to conserving rhino populations in the 21st century.

Save the Rhino International developed a new conservation strategy to guide our efforts to tackle these threats, and protect and grow rhino populations. Continuing our focus on © Cyril Ruoso 5 6 Section Ranger distributing new To respond to conservation challenges, the World camping kits including battery power chargers, funded through Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Conservation our zoo partners, to ranger teams Strategy outlines that all zoos should “increase their in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. contribution to and impact on saving species in the wild”.

WAZA recommends that zoos Collaboration is at the heart of all partner with trusted conservation we do and this report will outline organisations to implement action concrete examples of the in the field and commit to conservation impact that has been developing their budgets to achieved by connecting zoos with support conservation over the in situ rhino programmes. long-term. In the following section, we review As such, we are acting as a how zoo partnerships contributed trusted conduit between zoological to four of our strategy areas, and institutions and in-field programme share the impact that funding has partners who protect and monitor achieved in tackling the threats rhino populations in the wild. facing rhinos in the wild.

Percentage of restricted zoo contributions via Save the Rhino International analysed by strategy.

Protection, law enforcement, intelligence and investigations - 28% Building capacity - 10%

Stopping illegal markets - 6%

Biological management - 56%

© Dirk Swart 7 8 Zoo donations have enabled conservancies in Kenya to purchase a new Strategy 1: Protection, law vehicle and enabled more training sessions for canine units. enforcement, intelligence and investigation Keeping rhinos safe from Generous funding from Réserve poachers is key to maintaining Africaine de Sigean and Biopar- healthy, thriving populations and co di Roma will enable HiP to buy reducing the illegal trade in rhino and install a new digital radio sys- © Martin Buzora horn. A large proportion of funding tem to support anti-poaching activ- from Save the Rhino and our ities. This system will replace the partners is directed to equip previously vulnerable analogue rangers and enhance the radios, crucially improving the anti-poaching operations they security of communications undertake to protect rhinos. between the ranger teams.

In South Africa, the team at In celebration of their 50th Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP) have anniversary, the Zoological been tackling the rising tide of Society of East Anglia held a year- © Martin Buzora © Dirk Swart poaching in the KwaZulu- long fundraising drive, collecting a ‘Savannah’ light aircraft. The courts were often not recognising Natal province since the start of phenomenal £25,000 to fund the Savannah is able to provide aerial the importance or credibility of the latest poaching crisis in 2007. operational costs of HiP’s surveillance across the Park, testimony from canine units in monitor fence lines, detect crime criminal cases. Our partners at scenes and provide over-watch Zoo Berlin and Tierpark Berlin during contact with poachers. provided generous funds so that A key part of HiP’s operations, Ol Jogi’s Canine Unit could the Savannah helps to make the undergo certification by the Kenya Park’s rhino protection and law Police. Following the successful enforcement efforts more certification, evidence collected by effective. the Conservancy’s canine team is now considered ‘admissible’ in In Kenya, Ol Jogi was one of the court cases, an important step to first conservancies in the Laikipia ensuring successful convictions. region to add a canine unit to their Generous funds from the Zoological anti-poaching and law Across the Laikipia region, our Society of East Anglia funded the operation of the Savannah aircraft at HiP. © Dirk Swart enforcement efforts. However, partners at Bioparco di Roma, 9 10 Bioparc Valencia, Rotterdam Zoo black rhinos. With no formal and West Midland Safari Park protections over the desert supported the operational costs of landscape they roam, the canine units at Lewa Wildlife, Ol rhinos could be more vulnerable to Jogi and Ol Pejeta Conservancies. poaching attempts. Staying Donations funded renovations to one-step ahead of poachers is kennels, supported training of the essential to protect this population. units, helped procure a vehicle adapted to transport Lewa’s With support from our partners at canine unit and helped cover Zoo Krefeld, SRT’s Wildlife Crime veterinary costs for dogs. These Coordinator (in collaboration with investments ensure that the dogs the Namibian Police Service) stay in peak physical condition and spent 220 days of the year that the canine teams can conducting fieldwork, continue operating as formidable investigations and pre-emptive units to tackle the threat of patrols. These efforts have led to poaching. many arrests and successes in deterring poachers, helping to In Namibia’s Kunene region, Save keep rhinos safe and allowing the the Rhino Trust monitors and population to grow. protects a unique population of

In 2019-20, zoos provided more than £47,700 to support anti-poaching and ranger training activities.

Breakdown of zoo contributions to protection, law enforcement, intelligence and investigation activities.

Ranger training, £1,767.75, 4%

Anti-poaching operations, £45,944, 96%

© Steve and Ann Toon 11 12 Alongside protection from As a Strategic Partner, Wilhelma poaching, management of rhino Zoological and Botanical Garden, Strategy 2: Biological populations is vital to ensure they Stuttgart is directing its support to are healthy, have strong enhance the conservation genetic diversity and all the breeding programme at the management activities conditions needed to successfully Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary (SRS) Seven rhinos live at the Sumatran grow and build resilience against – the only viable captive Rhino Sanctuary. They are a lifeline for their extinction. population of Sumatran rhinos in species’ future. Thanks to donations from our zoo the world. partners, the facilities of the Sanctuary have doubled in size. Soon, we hope that more Sumatran Biological management rhinos will call it home. Thanks to crucial funding from All images © www.nickgarbuttphotography.com received the largest Wilhelma, and other partners including West Midland Safari contribution from Park, a second ring of rhino zoological institutions in enclosures was built at the SRS, along with improvements to its the last financial year, veterinary and staff facilities. This raising more than £93,350 has doubled the space available for rhinos in the breeding

for these activities. programme and increased the capacity of the team to provide the This is largely due to the generous highest standards of care and grants of Wilhelma Zoological and fertility support to help grow the Botanical Garden, Stuttgart, who population of this unique joined the Sumatran Rhino species. Rescue project as Strategic Partners. In Kenya, Ol Jogi Conservancy has also been working to increase Sumatran Rhino Rescue is a the capacity of its veterinary ground-breaking, international surgery, which treats endangered collaboration to save the Critically wildlife and supports Endangered Sumatran rhino from conservation research. Thanks to extinction through managed the support of our partners at conservation breeding and care. Erlebnis Zoo Hannover, Zoo Berlin Fewer than 80 individuals remain and Tierpark Berlin, Ol Jogi was in the wild, scattered across 10 able to install a sustainable solar small subpopulations; without power system for the surgery, and action, the species could become procured weighing scales, a new extinct in a matter of decades. drill for inserting transmitters into rhino horns, a digital microscope 13 14 and a new portable x-ray machine. Safaripark) and Fondation Le Pal Breakdown of zoo contributions to biological management activities. These changes have improved the Nature, LRT was able to conduct efficiency and diagnostic abilities a number of ‘ear notching’ oper- of the clinic, helping to provide the ations where unique patterns of Conservation breeding, £49,283.00, 53% highest quality of care for rhinos, notches are made on rhinos’ ears, other wildlife and the under anaesthetic, to help identify Habitat management, £460.55, <1% Conservancy’s canine unit. different animals. By being able to record individual rhino sightings, Rhino monitoring, £29,942.17, 32% In addition, thanks to a generous biologists can then monitor the Veterinary interventions, £13,679.76, 15% grant from Yorkshire Wildlife Park movements, interactions, health Foundation and further support and safety of all individuals within from Erlebnis Zoo Hannover, Ol key populations and make Jogi bought and installed a interventions to grow the number of new CCTV cameras population. and relay stations. The footage from these cameras helps to At Save the Rhino Trust (SRT) in monitor the rhino population and Namibia, the team need to cover a other wildlife in the Conservancy, 25,000km2 region of desert to and is already documenting monitor the black rhino population. wildlife passing through the Our partners at Zoo Krefeld and corridors that connect adjoining West Midland Safari Park provided habitats. The CCTV system is also funds to help buy a new vehicle for helping Ol Jogi to monitor its SRT and support its running costs borders closely for any illegal respectively, meaning the rhino incursions, adding a further layer monitors can continue to deploy of protection to the Conservancy’s across the landscape, receive Zoo partners supported vehicle running costs for Save rhinos. essential supplies in the field and the Rhino Trust in Namibia. conduct their important work.

In Zimbabwe, the Lowveld Rhino Donations from zoos have improved vet Trust monitors black and white clinic facilities and purchased CCTV for rhinos to inform management wildlife corridors in Kenya. decisions aiming to develop large © Save the Rhino International populations with high breeding rates and strong genetic diversity. To carry out this work successfully, it is important that the team can identify individual rhinos. Thanks to the generous support of our partners including Dublin Zoo,

Stichting Wildlife (Beeksebergen Namibia Trust, © Save the Rhino 15 16 All images © Education for Nature - Vietnam Strategy 3: Stopping illegal markets Reducing the demand for illegal trade to species such as rhinos in rhino horn products and stopping an effort to reduce consumption. their sale are crucial to disrupting Generous funding from Zoo de la the trade and stopping poaching of Barben has supported ENV’s work rhinos. In the 2019-2020 on Public Service financial year, zoo partners Announcements (PSAs); videos donated more than £10,150 to that aim to change people’s support this work, mostly centred attitudes and behaviours around on behaviour-change campaigns illegal wildlife products. Their with our programme partner most recent PSA, ‘Children know Education for Nature Vietnam. the score about rhino poaching’ Save the Rhino also supports the has been shown on TV channels work of our partners at TRAFFIC across Vietnam, and viewed more in China and Vietnam, as well as than 1.6 million times on YouTube. the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). In addition to behaviour change, ENV’s video is spreading these efforts focus on consumer and market research, intelligence the important message and investigations in consumer that using illegal wildlife countries, and strengthening legal and policy frameworks to stem the products is wrong. illegal trade in rhino horn. Zoo Berlin and Tierpark Berlin, with additional funding from Zoo Vietnam is one of the two de la Barben, provided grants to countries (alongside neighbouring support ENV’s National Wildlife China) with the highest demand Protection Network. This group of for rhino horn, which in Vietnam is volunteers monitors and reports mainly bought as a status symbol, wildlife crime and raise public with some also using horn in awareness of the threats illegal traditional medicines. Education trade poses for wildlife. In 2020, for Nature Vietnam (ENV) works the Network is recruiting more to educate Vietnamese citizens volunteers to expand their efforts. about the threat of illegal wildlife 17 18 Strategy 4: Capacity-building To ensure rhino conservation efforts are as effective as possible, Last winter, 40 frontline it is important that the teams staff from three rhino protecting rhinos are well equipped, trained and motivated. reserves took part in In the last financial year, zoos wildlife crime contributed £16,232 to build the capacity of wildlife rangers and investigation training in rhino conservationists in the field, procuring essential equipment, Assam, India. paying for training and supporting Thanks to the increased capacity the welfare of staff working in often of law enforcement, recent years dangerous and stressful situations. have seen a decrease in poaching and arrests of poaching suspects The state of Assam, in India, is have increased. home to the largest regional population of Greater one-horned rhinos in the wild. Whilst successful poaching attempts are low, the number of attempted rhino poaching incidents means rangers and law enforcement must stay vigilant.

Our partners at Parc Animalier de Branféré and Rotterdam Zoo provided generous funds for wildlife crime investigation training sessions in Assam as part of the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 © www.manameadowsphotography.com (IRV2020) programme. The training covered topics such as securing crime scenes, evidence collection and handling procedures and writing reports. A Greater one-horned rhino in India’s Kaziranga National Park. © Steve and Ann Toon 19 20 At Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP) in Funding from our partners South Africa, rangers work hard to including Colchester Zoo, tackle the high rate of illegal incursions into the Park. Zoo de Montpellier, Zoo Zlín, Parco Natura Viva and With more kits (including backpacks, tents, mattresses, Zoo de la Boissière du Doré sleeping bags and gas cookers - see photo left), rangers can spend procured 130 extended longer periods in the Park’s camping kits for ‘hotspots’, ready to intercept any incursions before a rhino is Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park’s poached. rangers.

Breakdown of zoo contributions to capacity-building activities.

Workshops and training courses, £2,989.96, 18% Ranger welfare, £13,242.35, 82%

© Dirk Swart Toon Ann © Steve and 21 22 in the field through the pandemic, and BIAZA (the British and Irish and hope that, once zoos are Association of Zoos and Conclusion able to reopen and welcome back Aquariums) to continue visitors, they will be able to renew supporting rhino conservation ef- Thanks to the incredible support of 34 zoo partners in their commitment for in situ forts. Through these conservation efforts in the collaborations, we will strive to 2019-20 financial year, together we directed grants long-term. achieve our shared aims of a fu- totalling £167,466 to eight rhino conservation ture with more biodiversity and a Save the Rhino is also ready to more symbiotic relationship programmes in seven countries across Africa and Asia. support our zoo partners with their between humanity and nature. Additionally, zoos generously gave Europe, nearly every zoo has fundraising and awareness £12,501 in unrestricted experienced a period of closure as activities whenever they need, and Finally, we would like to say a contributions supporting the part of national responses to this will continue providing massive ‘thank you’ to all of the breadth of our rhino conservation crisis. With a massive reduction in communications and reports zoos, their staff, Boards and efforts. income but continued high demonstrating the impact their visitors, who have so generously operational costs for zoos, the support makes for rhinos in the contributed to support rhino From supporting anti-poaching future of fundraising for in situ wild. Despite the pandemic, we conservation programmes across operations in South Africa to the conservation looks uncertain. In aim to continue strengthening our Africa and Asia. We look forward conservation breeding programme 2020-21, we expect many zoos partnerships with zoos and to continuing our successful at the Sumatran Rhino will be focusing all of their efforts regional organisations, including partnerships to make a future Sanctuary in Indonesia, our zoo on continuing to offer the highest EAZA, AFdPZ (the French where all five rhino species thrive partners play a pivotal role in standards of care for their animals Association of Zoological Parks) in the wild a reality. conserving all five species of and ensuring their organisations rhinos in the wild. Almost doubling can continue operating. the total contributions from zoo partners in the previous financial Inevitably, we understand that in year, together we are realising the following months we might see the goal set by WAZA for zoos to a reduction in contributions from “increase their contribution to and zoos as they tighten their budgets. impact on saving species in the Our programme partners across wild”. Africa and Asia are similarly having to cope with the impacts Whilst the past financial year has and uncertainties of Covid-19, been a great success in working to keep their staff safe deepening our partnerships and and healthy and maintaining their increasing our impact, we vital rhino conservation operations recognise there will be challenges whilst dealing with a reduction in in the year ahead. The funding from tourism and Coronavirus pandemic has greatly philanthropy. We will continue to affected life around the world. In support our programme partners © Steve and Ann Toon 23 24 Appendices Appendix A: Analysis of zoo contributions made via SRI by field programme

Percentage of restricted zoo contributions made via SRI by programme.

Indonesia - Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary - 29%

South Africa - Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park - 29%

Kenya - Ol Jogi - 15%

Zimbabwe - Lowveld Rhino Trust - 12% © www.manameadowsphotography.com

Vietnam - Education for Nature Vietnam - 6%

Kenya - APLRS - Canine Units - 5%

Namibia - Save the Rhino Trust - 2%

India - Indian Rhino Vision 2020 - 2%

Appendix B: Analysis of zoo contributions made via SRI by species Percentage of restricted zoo contributions made via SRI by species or strategy focus.

Black - 2%

Black and white - 60%

All species - 6%

Greater one-horned - 2%

Sumatran - 30%

25 26 Appendix C: Zoo support listed by field programme in the financial year 2019-20 Tierpark Berlin Zoologischer Garten Berlin India-Indian Rhino Vision 2020 Zimbabwe-Lowveld Rhino Trust Parc Animalier de Branfere Dublin Zoo (ZSI) Rotterdam Zoo (Diergaarde Blijdorp) Fondation Le Pal Nature Indonesia-Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary Stichting Wildlife / Safaripark Beekse Bergen and Dierenrijk West Midland Safari & Leisure Park Zoologisch-Botanischer Garten Wilhelma (Stuttgart) Kenya-APLRS-Canine Units Bioparc Valencia Bioparco di Roma Rotterdam Zoo (Diergaarde Blijdorp) Kenya-Ol Jogi Erlebnis Zoo Hannover Tallinn Zoo Yorkshire Wildlife Park Foundation Zoologischer Garten Berlin and Tierpark Berlin Namibia-Save the Rhino Trust West Midland Safari & Leisure Park Zoo Krefeld Save the Rhino International-Core fund Cotswold Wildlife Park Edinburgh Zoo (RZSS) Folly Farm Monde Sauvage Safari Parc Ruhr-Zoo Gelsenkirchen (Zoom Erlebniswelt Gelsenkirchen) Salzburg Zoo Touroparc Zoo du Bassin d’Arcachon Zoo Madrid and Parques Reunidos Foundation Zoologischer Garten Schwerin South Africa-Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park Bioparco di Roma Colchester Zoo Friends of Berlin Zoo (Gemeinschaft der Förderer von Tierpark Berlin und Zoologischem Garten Berlin) Knuthenborg Safaripark Parco Natura Viva (ARCA Foundation) Réserve Africaine de Sigean Zoo de la Boissière du Doré Zoological Society of East Anglia (Banham Zoo & Africa Alive) Zoologicka Garden and Chateau Zlin-Lesna Vietnam-Education for Nature Vietnam Parc zoologique de la Barben © Gerad Lacs 27 28