Page 49 - World of Animals - Issue #30

Changing
BELOW Zoos
and aquariums behaviours
aim to inspire
their visitors by How zoos are altering
giving them the people’s attitudes
opportunity to get
up close to real
animals

Recycling phones to save gorillas
Houston Zoo in Texas encourages
people to recycle their electronic items.
Many devices contain coltan, mostly
mined from prime gorilla habitat in the
Democratic Republic of Congo.

Sustainable seafood
Monterey Bay Aquarium in California
is promoting Seafood Watch, a
programme to empower and
encourage their visitors to learn about
Education at home Education abroad sustainable seafood sources and to
Millions of schoolchildren visit the zoo on educational In recent years, the idea that zoos have a responsibility to purchase seafood from businesses
supporting healthy oceans.
trips every year. They not only link learning in the zoo positively impact ecosystems and animals in the wild has
to national curriculums, but they also hold workshops been gaining momentum. When animals are released into
and outreach programmes to raise awareness and the wild, a lot of planning, coordination and education is
understanding in their community. inevitably involved. Lasting conservation success usually
A number of animal collections have introduced comes from the recruitment of wildlife rangers, long-term
courses to teach people that all species deserve our care support, and ongoing training in biological science. There
and protection. Bristol Zoo’s ‘Living with Spiders’ course is will always be a need to train staff and rangers in countries
designed to help people overcome their fear of the eight- where educational resources are scarce. The participation
legged invertebrates through hypnotherapy and talks of local communities is also vital and much work goes into
about the spider’s anatomy, behaviour, and role in nature. developing and maintaining long-lasting relationships.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) Chester Zoo’s Act for Wildlife campaign is working with
Edinburgh Zoo’s Wild About Scotland bus is an outreach communities around the world, and involves a broad range Community-based approach
Persecution of snow leopards in
programme which aims to engage young people and of work, from training rangers in Africa to helping with the Russia is rife. To change attitudes, the
communities with Scotland’s natural history and deliver elephant-human conflict in Assam, India. Meanwhile, Bristol Snow Leopard Conservancy created
free wildlife education sessions in a fun and practical way. Zoo is actively working in 15 countries to protect wildlife the Snow Leopard Day Festival, a fun
The goal is to inspire and nurture a lifelong appreciation and people. For example, there are currently projects event for children involving art, dance
and other activities.
for animals and the environments they live in, so that focusing on lemurs in Madagascar and western lowland
future generations can help to protect the natural world. gorillas in Cameroon, both of which are community-based.
Zoos also help to educate and train future vets, Aside from direct conservation work, ZSL London
zookeepers and field conservationists with courses like Zoo has been working in Equatorial Guinea
the Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL) Zoo Academy. to find viable alternatives to bushmeat,
And it is not only in the zoo that education takes place. which is currently a source of food and
Raising awareness about the role people can play in their income to local people. Through
own communities to protect native species is something working with communities, it has
zoos are heavily involved in, organising activities such established projects to evaluate,
as bug safaris and pond dipping. This is a great way for test, and implement culturally
people to get involved in conservation, gain new skills, acceptable and economically
and learn about native species from experts. viable alternatives. The hope is
that by slowly changing the © Epic Photography; Bristol Zool; The Deep; SLC Lyubov Ivashkina
“The goal is to inspire way bushmeat is viewed,
threatened species can be
and nurture a lifelong saved from poaching.
appreciation for animals” RIGHT The Living with Spiders
course at Bristol Zoo helps visitors to
overcome their fear of spiders

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