QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF ZOOS AND AQUARIA AUTUMNZ 2018OO QUARIAISSUE 102 AMAZING AMPHIBIANS CELEBRATING A DECADE OF AMPHIBIAN CONSERVATION A giant challenge BUILDING A FUTURE FOR THE CHINESE GIANT SALAMANDER 1 Taking a Leap PROTECTING DARWIN’S FROG IN CHILE Give your visitors a digital experience Add a new dimension to your visitor experience with the Aratag app – for museums, parks and tourist www.aratag.com attractions of all kinds. Aratag is a fully-integrated information system featuring a CMS and universal app that visitors download to their smart devices. The app runs automatically when it detects a nearby facility using the Aratag system. With the power of Aratag’s underlying client CMS system, zoos, aquariums, museums and other tourist attractions can craft customized, site-specifi c app content for their visitors. Aratag’s CMS software makes it easy for you to create and update customized app content, including menus, text, videos, AR, and active links. Aratag gives you the power to intelligently monitor visitors, including demographics and visitor fl ows, visit durations, preferred attractions, and more. You can also send push messages through the app, giving your visitors valuable information such as feeding times, closing time notices, transport information, fi re alarms, evacuation routes, lost and found, etc. Contact Pangea Rocks for an on-site demonstration of how Aratag gives you the power to deliver enhanced visitor experiences. Contact us for more information: Address: Aratag is designed and Email: [email protected] Aratag / Pangea Rocks A/S developed by Pangea Rocks A/S Phone: +45 60 94 34 32 Navervej 13 in collaboration with Aalborg Mobile : +45 53 80 34 32 6800 Varde, Denmark University. Give your visitors a digital experience Contents Zooquaria Autumn 2018 10 20 26 Add a new dimension to your visitor experience with the Aratag app – for museums, parks and tourist www.aratag.com attractions of all kinds. Aratag is a fully-integrated information system featuring a CMS and universal app that visitors download to their smart devices. The app runs automatically when it detects a nearby OBERWEMMER F facility using the Aratag system. With the power of Aratag’s underlying client CMS system, zoos, 4 From the Director’s chair 19 Immaculate conservation aquariums, museums and other tourist attractions EAZA’s Director introduces this special issue Why an order of Mexican nuns proved to be a key dedicated to amphibian conservation part in the conservation of the achoque can craft customized, site-specifi c app content for their visitors. 5 Noticeboard 20 Saving the lemur frog The latest news from the EAZA community How Bristol Zoo's ESB is supporting the Critically Endangered lemur leaf frog 6 Births & hatchings The latest success stories from our Member zoos 21 Amphibian advice Zooquaria talks to Amphibian TAG Advisor Javier Aratag’s CMS software makes it 8 Greece is the word Lopez about his life and work easy for you to create and update An impressive venue and inspiring presentations customized app content, including ensured a memorable EAZA Annual Conference 23 Conservation by numbers menus, text, videos, AR, and active How EAZA Members have supported amphibian links. 10 Songbird on the brink conservation over the last 10 years How the Threatened Asian Songbird Alliance Aratag gives you the power rescued the Javan Green magpie just in time 24 Resisting the alien invaders to intelligently monitor visitors, A variety of measures was needed to bring an including demographics and visitor 12 Reaching across the world invasion of bullfrogs under control fl ows, visit durations, preferred Dr Jane Goodall's keynote speech was just one of attractions, and more. the highlights of the 73rd WAZA Annual Conference 26 Taking a leap Why Zoo Leipzig jumped at the chance to help save You can also send push messages 14 Fighting for their survival Darwin's frog through the app, giving your visitors We look back over a decade of amphibian valuable information such as feeding conservation across the globe 27 A giant challenge times, closing time notices, transport Ensuring a future for the Chinese giant salamander information, fi re alarms, evacuation 16 Action for amphibians How a collaborative global partnership is creating a routes, lost and found, etc. 28 Beyond the bullfrogs better world for amphibians Revisiting an amphibian conservation challenge that was first posed in the 1960s 18 The year of the frog Has the Year of the Frog campaign achieved its aim? 30 Frogs need friends Why effective publicity management is a crucial part of amphibian conservation Zooquaria Contact Pangea Rocks for EDITORIAL BOARD: EAZA Executive Office, PO Box 20164, 1000 HD Amsterdam, The Netherlands. an on-site demonstration Executive Director Myfanwy Griffith ([email protected]) Email: [email protected] ISSN 2210-3392 Cover image: Golden mantella frog of how Aratag gives you the Managing Editor David Williams-Mitchell ([email protected]) For information on print subscriptions to Zooquaria visit: power to deliver enhanced Editor Joanna Swinnerton http://www.eaza.net/about-us/communications visitor experiences. Editorial Staff Katharina Herrmann, William van Lint The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of EAZA. Designer Louise Tait The paper used for printing is FSC quality (sustainable). Organic inks are used. Zooquaria is the quarterly magazine of the Plates for printing are free of chemicals. All waste is disposed of in an environmentally European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). friendly manner. Printed by Euro Mail BV. Contact us for more information: Address: Aratag is designed and 3 Email: [email protected] Aratag / Pangea Rocks A/S developed by Pangea Rocks A/S Phone: +45 60 94 34 32 Navervej 13 in collaboration with Aalborg Mobile : +45 53 80 34 32 6800 Varde, Denmark University. FROM THE DIRECTOR’S CHAIR I am delighted to share with you this special issue on effective collaboration produces conservation impact. The amphibians. It comes 10 years after our EAZA Conservation interconnected work of AArk, the Amphibian Survival Campaign: Year of the Frog, which was launched after Alliance (ASA) and the IUCN Species Survival Commission alarming declines of amphibians were presented at a 2005 Amphibian Specialist Group (IUCN SSC ASG) is one conference. At the closing of the campaign, it had raised over example of effective collaboration in action. It is great to €418,000 for amphibian conservation, 40 per cent of which know that EAZA and its Members are involved in supporting was granted to the global Amphibian Ark (AArk) to help it each of these groups, either through provision of scientific maintain its vital central coordinating role in amphibian ex expertise, capacity building, rescue efforts, outreach, situ conservation. Ten years on, this issue of Zooquaria looks communications or funds (and here I take the opportunity at the current status of amphibian conservation, the lasting to give special thanks to Leipzig Zoo, Germany, Belfast Zoo, impacts of the campaign, and if more still needs to be done. Northern Ireland, and Nordens Ark, Sweden, who responded This issue contains a range of examples from EAZA to my recent request for funds made in my capacity as a Members about how the campaign initiated their amphibian Global Council member of ASA). conservation activities. These diverse activities also now It is also clear from reading the articles that there is still a demonstrate a long-term commitment to amphibian need to do more if we wish to safeguard precious amphibian conservation for both native species and those from further biodiversity. Many authors call for an expansion of activities afield. They also highlight the complexities of amphibian to include: conservation, not least that in some cases conservation of • connecting zoos and aquariums to existing global one species of amphibian may mean eradication of another. amphibian networks such as AArk, ASA and ASG; Conservation is not always easy, and it is reassuring to • supporting effective collaborations between the know that EAZA Members have the scientific and practical scientific community and practitioners in zoos and knowledge to confidently make these difficult decisions aquariums, particularly with institutions based in and achieve positive conservation outcomes. In addition developing countries and in need of more research to the specific examples given, the EAZA Conservation capacity; Database infographic on page 23 nicely summarises EAZA • institutions in countries with low amphibian diversity contributions to amphibian conservation over the 10-year helping to establish breeding facilities in partner period. It is great to be able to share the fact that registered institutions in high-diversity range countries, and funding for amphibians has risen to €3.9 million. These funds potentially receiving exhibit animals from these have supported not only direct species conservation efforts institutions once range-country populations produced but also projects related to research, conservation education surplus; and and ecosystem restoration. • supporting the Red Listing process for the thousands On page 18 our Amphibian TAG Chair, Gerardo Garcia, of amphibians in need so that it can continue to guide provides a more detailed summary of the campaign and what strategic actions. the TAG has done, and continues to do for Amphibian EAZA and its Members are well placed to respond to management and conservation.