TheRATEL Journal of the Association of British and Irish Wild Animal Keepers Volume 37. No. 2 June 2010 sponsored by www.abwak.org The Association of British & Irish Wild Animal Keepers (ABWAK) ABWAK is a non-profit making organisation catering for those interested in and involved with the keeping of wild animals. The aim of the association is: “To achieve and advance the highest standards of excellence in wild animal care” We believe that: • We are the voice of animal keepers in Britain & Ireland for whom excellent animal welfare is the highest priority • We can have a significant impact in welfare issues by bringing keepers and stakeholders together and by being a strong representative & consultative body • We can make a significant contribution to the training & development of animal keepers thus raising standards and increasing the recognition of wild animal collections • By developing the skills & expertise of our members we can make a unique contribution to conservation Membership rates (2010) Professional or Associate £25 Joint Professional £45 Overseas £45 Subscription to RATEL only £25 Overseas Subscription to RATEL only £35 Subscription is for ONE copy of each issue of RATEL and does not give membership privileges or rights President: Stewart Muir www.abwak.org Vice Presidents: Jonathan Barzdo; Rick Green; Dr Miranda Stevenson ABWAK COUNCIL (2010) Chair: Ross Snipp, Flamingo Land Vice Chair & Editor: Stephen Woollard, RZSS Edinburgh Zoo Honorary Treasurer: Richard Barnett, NEZS Chester Zoo Honorary Secretary: Marilyn Beech, Myerscough College Symposium Secretary: Laura Gardner, Leeds Castle Aviary Membership Secretary.: Alaina Macri, RZSS Edinburgh Zoo Other Members of ABWAK Council: Lynsey Jones, NEZS Chester Zoo Paul Howse, NEZS Chester Zoo Richard Champion, Reaseheath College Lesley Harmer, priavte keeper/breeder Danielle Smith, Flamingo Land Mairee Vincent, Leeds Castle Aviary Chris Mitchell, South Staordshire College, Rodbaston Campus John Ray, Tropical Wings Lindsay Lederer, Capel Manor College Julian Chapman, Paignton Zoo To contact the ABWAK Council: Membership: contact Alaina Macri, Membership Secretary [email protected] Back Issues & merchandise: contact Mairee Vincent [email protected] Articles and advertising: contact Stephen Woollard [email protected] RATEL is published four times a year: March, June, September, December. (Deadlines for submission 23rd Jan; 23rd April; 23rd July; 23rd Oct). We will try to publish your material as soon after receiving it as possible. All material should be sent to: Stephen P. Woollard, Editor RATEL, c/o RZSS Edinburgh Zoo, 134 Corstorphine Road, EDINBURGH, EH12 6TS Email: [email protected] Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the editor or ABWAK. Advertising Full, half and quarter page advertising space is available (colour or black and white) – contact the Editor for rates. © Copyright 2010 Association of British and Irish Wild Animal Keepers ISSN 0305 – 1218 Contents Vol.37. No.2. June 2010 From the editor 2 ABWAK Symposium Report 3 Stephen Woollard Giraffe lovers overseas: a trip to IAGCP at Phoenix Zoo 14 Cover Photograph Paul Rose & Sarah Roffe Hamadryas baboon enclosure, Obituary: Devra Kleiman 15 Flamingo Land Stephen Woollard Stephen Woollard Homerus Swallowtail Campaign 16 Chrissie Jackson Endocrinology: How can it help wildlife management? 18 Rebecca Watson, Thijs Van de Houten & Katie Edwards Avian rearing Resource Website 22 Louise Peat Are Tigers Really solitary? 23 Ian Hickey & Paul Rose Hazel Dormouse Conservation 27 Nida Al Fulaij & ian White Writing for RATEL MEMBERSHIP - JOIN NOW RATEL depends on ABWAK members and others We now accept new members at any time of for articles. The journal provides an opportunity year and your membership runs for 12 months. for sharing information, research projects, latest developments, enrichment techniques etc., with Please contact Alaina Macri to join ABWAK: those involved in wild animal keeping in the UK and [email protected] Ireland (and beyond). We accept articles throughout the year - please note MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS the publication deadlines (see inside front cover). RATEL four times a year Articles should be your own work. They should not Free membership of International Congress of be published elsewhere (although we will consider Zookeeping edited/adapted articles that have been submitted for Discount on ABWAK Symposia & Training publication elsewhere). We do reserve the right to Discount on ANCMZA edit articles or return them for modification. Network with fellow keepers Articles can be accompanied by colour or black free/reduced entry to many UK & Irish zoos and white photos/illustrations, tables and graphs NEW as appropriate. Digital photos are best sent as ABWAK Grants and Conservation Support additional files, and may also be considered for the cover photograph - so please provide credit (who We have a small fund for supporting keepers took the photo, and where). in their work, training, enrichment, conservation Send your articles to the editor by email: activities. A set of new criteria for assessing applications has just been created - and ABWAK [email protected] members score more qualifying points. Post to: Stephen Woollard, Editor RATEL, c/o RZSS, See website for more info: www.abwak.org Edinburgh Zoo, Edinburgh, EH12 6TS From the editor In 2010 - the International Year of Biodiversity - it is sad to note that by the end of the year we are likely to have lost more species, and have more of our diversity recognised and listed as being endangered. Zoo staff and the general public are much more aware of enviornmental issues and endangered species than when ABWAK was founded in 1974, but it is still clear that this knowledge or awareness is relatively superficial. Getting people to adopt different lifestyles and/or to act to make a difference is a real challenge - not least in that many zoos struggle to make themselves ‘environmentally sensitive’ and in their very operation to set an example for everyone to follow. We now know much more about the threats faced by many species in the wild, and we also have a better knowledge and understanding of the population dynamics and distribution of species. However, zoos on the whole don’t share the complexitiy of conservation management and conservation issues with our visitors. When we talk about ‘threatened species’ we use terms like ‘endangered’ and ‘threatened’, some even use the word ‘rare’ which is very confusing (given the correct use of this term is illistrated by: it is rare to see a two headed snake, but that can occur, ie its nothing to do with being threatened/endangered). In 2009, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature [IUCN] re-launched its red list system of categorising threatened species with a new logo. It places species into different categories on a scale of risk from Least Concern to Extinct in the Wild. For zoo visitors, that often see an animal as either endangered or not, the scale offers an opportunity to clearly show the status of an animal in a visually appealing and more easily understood manner. IUCN is encouraging zoos and aquariums to use a standardised Red List logo, scale and button on interpretation signs for exhibits. A Zoo Info Pack containing all of the necessary artwork and guidelines for its use is now available. Zoos can also receive guidance on translating the materials into other languages. The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (which operates Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park) is the current Secretariat of the IUCN-UK committee, and has adopted the new IUCN red list logo onto its new species signage (as illustrated). If you are interested in using the Red List logos at your institution, you can obtain the Zoo Info Pack from Leigh Ann Hurt, Communications and Marketing Officer at IUCN Species Programme, Gland, Switzerland [email protected] Stephen P. Woollard, Editor ABWAK Regional Workshops By the time you receive this copy of RATEL our second regional training workshop will have taken place (this time at Chessington). Don’t forget to check the ABWAK website for notice of meetings and events. www.abwak.org Contact us if you have suggestions/offers for 2 developing our role in keeper training. Biodiversity & the Modern Zoo ABWAK Symposium Flamingo Land, 6th-7th March 2010 Synopsis of presentations Stephen P. Woollard The 2010 ABWAK Symposium was hosted by Flamingo Land in West Yorkshire and attended by 100 delegates from across the UK. As 2010 has been declared International Year of Biodversity (see March 2010 issue of RATEL) the focus of this year’s symposium was ‘biodiversity and the modern zoo’. Presentations were made on a diveristy of taxa and subjects and from various perspectives. This article summarises all of the presentations that were made durng the weekend. A CD with the presentations on is available from ABWAK (contact Mairee Vincent at Leeds Castle Aviary). ABWAK Council is currently planning the 2011 Symposium - which is likely to be at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in Kent in early March - check the website www.abwak.org for updates. We hope to see you there. If you would like to present at this symposium contact a member of ABWAK Council. Symposium 2010 DAY ONE - Saturday 6th March Welcome to Flamingo Land – Ross Snipp The zoo was opened in 1961 by businessman Edwin Pentland Hick. He sold it to Scotia Investments in 1972 (Scotia owned a number of zoos and visitor attractions). They added small rides to the Zoo. The park was bought by the Gibb Family (current owners) in 1978 and they have developed the original 13 acre zoo into a 375 acre leisure complex, of which the zoo now occupies 100 acres. The theme park has the world’s steepest drop roller-coaster and many other rides, as well as capacity for 5,000 people to stay overnight on site. Today the park receives 1.3 to 1.5 million visitors per annum.