WAZA News 3/10
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August 3/10 2010 Asian elephant at Dehiwala Zoo, Colombo, Sri Lanka. | © Gerald Dick WAZA news 3/10 Gerald Dick Contents Editorial Connecting Keepers Worldwide . 2 Dear WAZA Members! The Chagos Archipelago ........... 4 PAAZAB Team Mission We are already halfway through 2010 to Giza Zoo ..............................6 and many activities have taken place Zoos in Need of Help ................ 7 in WAZA member institutions as The Frozen Ark Project .............9 well as in many regions of the world The BIAZA Brazilian Reserve... 10 celebrating the International Year of Biodiversity. It is a great pleasure to Book Reviews ........................ 12 share some examples of these activi- Announcements .....................13 ties, as well as to offer our members the complete UNESCO exhibition on © WAZA Biodiversity and WED 2010: biodiversity on DVD. Gerald Dick at Pinnawala elephant orphanage, Sri Lanka. Brief Reports ..........................17 In the past months Council and WAZA who have not yet registered to do so. WAZA committees have been busy drafting We are expecting an extremely excit- Online Payment Option .......... 24 statements on three important issues: ing congress programme on the first WAZA Projects Animal welfare – general principles two days. Zoo exhibit design, projects, Darwin’s Frogs in Chile ........... 25 and practice with particular reference future aspirations, partnerships and African Crane Trade ................ 26 to dolphin capture developments, the making the distinction between in Int. Elephant Foundation .........27 WAZA approach to zoos in need of and ex situ as related to biodiversity Reintroduction help, and a statement in reference conservation are the big highlights. of Siamese Crocodiles ............ 28 to the recent conviction of staff of Zoo We have invited high level keynote Project BioBrasil .................... 30 Magdeburg for the management eu- speakers who will guarantee inspira- Global Cheetah thanasia of three hybrid tigers. These tion and an exciting framework for our Conservation ..........................31 statements are posted on the WAZA conference. Philipine Crocodile website (Conservation/Ethics) and may Recovery ................................32 be used to answer respective queries. Last but not least, it is a great pleasure Indochina Bear Conservation to welcome 8 new members, signifying and Rescue Programme ......... 33 This year marks the first time that the growing importance of our com- International Studbooks, WAZA is publishing an Annual Report, munity. Update ................................. 34 which you can find as a supplement Recent Updates ..................... 35 to this edition of WAZA News. This I am looking forward to increased Membership Applications ....... 37 brief report summarizes the highlights cooperation, your contributions to the of 2009 and can be used for external WAZA News and to meeting you at Obituary purposes, comprehensive reports the 65th Annual Conference in Cologne Dr Devra Kleiman ................... 39 are covered by the annual confer- (Köln) in October! Dr Mitsuko Masui ................... 40 ence proceedings. This year’s Annual Conference is also approaching and Gerald Dick I would like to encourage all members WAZA Executive Director Imprint Edition: 600 copies © WAZA 2010 Editor: Gerald Dick, WAZA Executive Office IUCN Conservation Centre This edition of WAZA News Rue Mauverney 28 is also available on CH-1196 Gland www.waza.org (members’ area). Switzerland phone: +41 22 999 07 90 fax: +41 22 999 07 91 WAZA is a registered interest repre- sentative with the European Commis- Layout and typesetting: [email protected] sion, ID number 30556573017-18. Print: Agentura NP, Staré Město, Czech Republic Printed on FSC paper. ISSN: 1662-7733 WAZA news 3/10 1 Mark Penning The President’s Page The Zoo Magdeburg took the tough decision to euthanase the litter of three tiger cubs immediately after birth. This course of action was fully supported by the EEP and EAZA, and was carried out in a humane fashion – no ‘animal cruelty’ was involved. We are extremely worried about the implications of this ruling and the potential precedent it sets. As EA- ZA’s Executive Director, Lesley Dickie, points out, it appears that under this ruling the culling of wild animals by hunters because they enjoy it is ‘reasonable’, culling non-productive but otherwise healthy dairy cattle © Gerald Dick for economic reasons is ‘reasonable’, Mark Penning at Dehiwala Zoo, Colombo, Sri Lanka. slaughter of food production ani- mals because we want to eat them is ‘reasonable’, even culling pet animals In the zoo and aquarium sector of considered a conservation contribu- when they are no longer convenient society, we pride ourselves on being tion, but for the purposes of this exer- is ‘reasonable’. However, with this recognized centres of education cise we chose to look at the direct in case humane euthanasia for conser- and conservation. There are some situ spend and the linkages between vation management is deemed ‘not parties who dispute this status, and in situ and ex situ. This is a very help- reasonable’. Zoo Magdeburg is ap- it is important for us to be able to ful measure of the influence we have pealing the conviction, and letters of quantify the contribution we make as a collective unit, particularly when support have been drafted by WAZA, to global conservation. This is where compared to the entities commonly EAZA-EEP, CBSG, SSC and a host of WAZA’s role as an umbrella organi- viewed as the leaders in conservation. others, in the hope of overturning zation proves its worth by collating this decision. information from the various regional Our grateful thanks go to the Execu- associations around the world. The tive officers of the regional associa- Ex situ conservation breeding is Executive office compiled data on tions for their assistance with this a core competency of modern zoos, visitor numbers and on direct conser- exercise. Without them it simply and its practice is mandated by the vation funding relating to in situ con- wouldn’t have been possible, and we Convention on Biological Diversity servation of wild species and habitats, now have a meaningful and credible and the Species Survival Commission and the results are staggering! report that will serve us well on the of the IUCN. For ex situ populations global conservation stage. to function effectively, the genetic Our institutions host around 700 mil- integrity and demographic stability lion visitors each year, a clear reflec- Of real concern is the report that of the populations must be closely tion of the potential we have to members of staff of Zoo Magde- managed. Humane management eu- bring about meaningful change in burg in Germany were convicted for thanasia, based on scientific analysis human society to the benefit of wild animal cruelty under a German law of the ex situ population to ensure animal populations. Furthermore, that forbids euthanasia unless there its long-term sustainability, is sup- our constituency reported an annual is ‘reasonable’ justification. In this law, ported by WAZA as a acceptable and conservation spend in the region of however, there is no definition of ‘rea- applicable option. It is ironic that the US$ 350 million which, considering sonable’. In 2008 it was identified that case has hinged on the definition the number of submissions received, there was within the Amur Tiger EEP of “reasonable” – it is a strongly and is certainly understated. The over- a hybrid line that affected approxi- widely held view that the conviction whelming majority was derived mately 30 animals stemming from of the three Magdeburg staff was not from North American and European one hybrid male. The EEP coordina- a reasonable course of action. One institutions, which underscores the tors immediately put in place a ban hopes that sensibility will prevail. tremendous commitment to conser- in further breeding from any of the vation from these regions. Of course affected animals. However one of the one could argue that a zoo or aquari- animals was the male at Magdeburg, um’s entire expense budget could be and the female was already pregnant. 2 WAZA news 3/10 Norah Farnham & Shane Good – The International Congress of Zookeepers Connecting Keepers Worldwide The International Congress of Zoo- The Steering Committee of the ICZ By working through its membership, keepers (ICZ) is the collaborative consists of 18 members represent- the ICZ is uniquely placed to: project of the world’s nine profes- ing the world’s 9 professional keeper • Be the voice of the worldwide com- sional zookeeper associations. The associations: munity of zookeepers and other ICZ represents 6 000 animal care • American Association animal care professionals. professionals from over 30 different of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) • Improve the profession of zookeep- countries and is incorporated in the • Association of British ing through the establishment of state of Ohio in the USA as a 501 (c) Wild Animal Keepers (ABWAK) best practice and the standardiza- 3 non-profit organization. • Association Francophone tion of zookeeping skills. des Soigneurs Animaliers (AFSA) • Improve animal welfare through Some of the early achievements of • Asociación Ibérica de Cuidadores advanced animal care in the the ICZ include the hosting of three de Animales Salvajes (AICAS) world’s zoological institutions. international conferences for zoo- • Animal Keepers’ Association • Provide a global platform for zoo- keepers, the addition of two new of Africa (AKAA) keepers