Wildlife Times Magazine - Spring 2019

SPRING 2019

WILDLIFE TIMES

Magazine

The magazine for people who care about wild animals

LIVING WITH TIGERS Yes, We Can save tHe living legend

ANNIVERSARY ACTION 35 keY speCies in 35 Years

BURNING BRIGHT Wild aCtivities to inspire kids

PLUS

• Caring for gopal • YoUr pet tiger?

• tigers in london • tHe tiger Hero

KEEP WILDLIFE IN THE WILD

WELCOME From Will Travers OBE

Can it be true that my father, Bill, together with Virginia and I, started Born Free 35 years ago? Where has the time gone? Together with our extraordinary team of Born Free wildlife champions, and your unstinting support, we've been standing up for individual animals in need ever since our inception in 1984. See some of our impact on the back cover.

It's been a lot of hard work, but the spirit of Elsa lives on and grows stronger (never give up). This Wildlife Times is all the evidence you need and in this issue we've gone tiger mad. Tiger conservation and conflict with people (p4), tiger rescue and care (p14), tiger education (p18), tigers in captivity (p22), and our tiger hero, Poonam Dhanwatey (p34).

We've also got Virginia's unique take on our capital city zoo (has it changed since we started all those years ago? p26), the insights of our CEO Howard Jones (p28), the thoughts of Kate Stephenson – Born Free Trustee, National Geographic Kids Education Editor and outstanding blogger (p30), and more.

Plus in summer 2019 I'll be touring some of my favourite northern cities, including Edinburgh, Newcastle and Manchester. I hope to see you there or at our September London event (p32).

President & Co-Founder will@bornfree.org.uk @willtravers

© G Roberts

© www.georgelogan.co.uk

Finally, those two words that mean so much to Virginia, myself, and all at Born Free. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. You are the Born Free generation.

COVER STORY

In the last 100 years, 96% of tigers have been lost and today as few as 4,000 remain. These awesome predators have no defence against well-armed poachers, and their forests are cut down and developed.

But all is not lost! India is home to 60% of wild tigers and, with you by our side, we work with local people to protect habitats, stop poaching and resolve conflict (p4).

Cover photo © www.tigersintheforest.co.uk

© www.tigersintheforest.co.uk

Together we can save the tiger

CONTENTS

4

SAVING THE LEGEND

11 WILD NEWS

14

18

CARING FOR GOPAL

BURNING BRIGHT

22

26

YOUR ‘PET’ TIGER?

TIGERS IN LONDON

30

36

WILD VISION

28

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

ANNIVERSARY ACTION Images © tigersintheforest.co.uk, Wildlife SOS, C Davey, burrard-lucas.com, georgelogan.co.uk

The Born Free Foundation is an international wildlife charity devoted to wild animal welfare and compassionate conservation. Born Free works to end captive exploitation and Keep Wildlife in the Wild, where it belongs!

Wildlife Times is published quarterly by Born Free each year iSSn 1351_9212 Managing editor: Will Travers, will@bornfree.org.uk editor: Celia nicholls, celia@bornfree.org.uk Designed by: Claire Stanford, claire@bornfree.org.uk Printed by: 4 Print Ltd, Tel 0208 941 0144.

This publication is printed on Satimatt green supplied by ebbs Tel: 0208 893 1144 The views expressed in Wildlife Times are not necessarily those of Born Free. if you have any comments or issues you would like to raise, please write to the Managing editor at the address right.

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Born Free Foundation, Broadlands Business Campus, Langhurstwood Road, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 4QP 01403 240170 info@bornfree.org.uk www.bornfree.org.uk Born Free Foundation is a Registered Charity no.1070906

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CONSERVATION

TIGERS UNDER

THREAT

HOW MANY WILD TIGERS? Indochinese 350

Bengal

Amur

South China

Caspian

Approx 2,500

Possibly Extinct

540

Extinct

Malayan 420

Javan

Extinct

Sumatran 400

Bali

Extinct

*Source IUCN

4 coNsERVATIoN | SPRing 2019

TIGER CRISIS The supreme hunter is in extreme crisis. The tiger’s forest home is being destroyed and they face a relentless demand for their body parts. Time to turn the tide, says Penny Banham.

H

ighly secretive, formidable and awe-inspiring, the tiger embodies the power of nature.

According to legend, tigers hold the key to immortality, harbouring the spirits of ancestors. Some believe they bring good luck, oust evil spirits and guard over children. To others, ‘tiger and man are brothers’, emerging out of a pangolin’s den, one with stripes and one that walks on two feet. I am sure you agree, the tiger is one of the most majestic animals that inhabits our planet.

Yet despite our fascination with tigers, we have placed them under dire threat.

There may only be 4,000 left in the wild today. Until the last century there were nine subspecies, but only six of these still exist today (see left). Once roaming across Asia, only 7% of original tiger habitat remains, spread across 13 countries, from Russia to Sumatra and south east Asia. Mining, logging, farming, palm oil plantations, settlements, roads and railways are fragmenting the landscape, creating a dangerous mosaic for tigers to live in. As an apex predator at the top of their food chain, and as a keystone species playing a key role in maintaining healthy ecosystems, tigers need vast tracts of land to hunt and to live. This is not an animal that thrives in pockets of wilderness. When tiger habitat disappears, so does the tiger, and so do the countless other species that live there.

As their habitat contracts and prey numbers dwindle, tigers increasingly attack livestock and even people, coming into conflict with communities

and provoking retaliation. Such a conflict played out on the world stage recently when T1 the tigress, also known as Avni, was tracked down by rangers in India’s Maharashtra state and shot dead, leaving her two ten-month old cubs behind, alone and vulnerable.

Avni lived in a small 155km2 of forest, punctuated by agricultural fields and settlements, and had reportedly killed several people. To communities living alongside Avni, she was a deadly terror, but she was also a tiger that had been squeezed into a corner, without enough food or space to live.

The cold, deadly threat of a bullet also comes from poachers, who ruthlessly kill tigers. From whiskers to tail, every part is traded. Under CITES*, the trade in tigers and their parts is illegal. Yet these laws mean little to those who have an appetite for tigers. Demand across the globe, particularly in China, is fuelling poaching. Their skins are used as rugs to adorn the floors of the wealthy, their bones are used to make wine to be consumed as ‘health’ tonics, their genitals are packaged to be sold as aphrodisiacs and their teeth, paws and tails used as ornaments and gifts.

Born Free will not sit back and watch the tiger disappear. It does not have to be them or us; co-existence is possible.

The tiger cannot only exist as a legend or caged in a zoo. With your support, and working with rural communities (p6), we are determined to secure a future for this spectacular species. *The UN’s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which regulates trade in rare animals and plants

Targeted by poachers

Killed for body parts

Skinned for bones Turned into ‘tonics’

Penny Banham MSc Conservation Project Officer penny@bornfree.org.uk Images © www.tigersintheforest.co.uk, Life Less Ordinary

SPRING 2019 | CONSERVATION 5

After a century of decline, tiger numbers are on the up, but this can lead them to clash with people.

SOLUTIONS TO CONFLICT Claudio Sillero reports on the ‘tiger wallahs’ of central India, and their innovative work with rural communities to protect tigers and resolve problems.

6 coNsERVATIoN | SPRing 2019

K

ishor Rithe is a computer scientist, Poonam Dhanwatey an interior designer (p34), Nishikant Kale a mechanical engineer, Sanjay Karkare a journalist. All live in central India. What do they have in common? They are wildlifers, naturalists that have chosen to commit their lives to protecting forests and tigers. They are also members of Born Free’s Living with Tigers programme, a successful network conceived in 2004 after two years of my research.

Striped alliance Living with Tigers is a networked partnership, supported by Born Free, committed to protecting contiguous tiger habitat across central India. The initiative secures the survival of – potentially – the world’s last sustainable tiger population, for the benefit of people locally, nationally and globally.

Alongside others I have encountered in my extensive travels through India’s forests, Kishor, Poonam, Nishi and Sanjay epitomise a new breed of tiger wallahs, hot in the footsteps of ATJ Johnsingh, Fateh Singh Rathore, Valmik Thapar and Belinda Wright, to name a few of those iconic champions we associate with the fate of the mighty striped cat. They share their vision, formidable energy and willingness to stand for the tiger, but also for the people who bear the costs of living next to them.

The extensive Satpuda forests offer the best hope for tigers in India, with a handful of well-established reserves run diligently by the forest departments of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. At 25,000km2, this is the largest block of tiger habitat in India, but these big cats are not alone. The new generation of tiger wallahs I first met all those years ago enthused me with their infectious optimism. Although at the time I had no idea of how things would pan out, I was convinced that, with the right financial and institutional support, these tiger advocates and their budding organisations would deliver. No challenge was too large for them, although they often worked with limited resources, lacking technical know-how and were isolated from each other.

CONSERVATION We have always known that given the right settings, enhanced protection and access to food, tiger numbers would recover. But this would not happen without the toiling of our champions keeping up the pressure (and trust me they are formidable fighters when it comes to taking the government to task to ensure effective protection for their beloved forests!). There are now more tigers in central India, their range has expanded, with new reserves established, and individuals dispersing into corridors and other forests. Hand in hand with government officers and local communities, they seek long-term solutions for the protection of Satpuda’s biodiversity, both directly protecting wildlife and addressing some of the most urgent needs of the people that live close to tigers.

Ironically, our heroes are now dealing with an unintended consequence of their success at increasing the tiger population – an associated increase in human-tiger conflict. But that is where our focus on people’s livelihoods comes to the fore. Our mobile health units take doctors to villages several hours away from basic medical facilities. Our education officers visit schools, run nature clubs, support women’s groups.

Our Tiger Ambassadors assist with forest protection and report poaching.

Our Fuel for Tigers initiative improves fuel efficiency, and reduces the need for people to venture into the forest to collect wood. And our Employment Cells offer training and opportunities that open up new possibilities to the unskilled and unemployed.

We must cheer for our tiger wallahs, while we continue to deliver long-term solutions. Our challenge remains to offer financially sustainable mechanisms to protect the forests where tigers live.

And to do so in a way that delivers improvements in the lives of those people living with wildlife, while protecting the ecological processes essential for sustainability.

Prof Claudio Sillero Chief Scientist claudio@bornfree.org.uk Photos © www.tigersintheforest.co.uk, F Fortuna/BFF

Helping communities, protecting tigers

Tiger Ambassadors report poaching

Educating the next generation

Efficient stoves use cow dung as fuel

WHY IS INDIA KEY? 96%

wild tigers lost in past century

60%

wild tigers live in India today

500 tigers

numbers increased across Satpuda

SPRING 2019 | CONSERVATION 7

LIVING WITH

TIGERS

A FUTURE FOR PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE

FEWER THAN

4,000 TIGERS REMAIN IN THE WILD Persecuted due to conflict Habitat under threat from development Slaughtered for their body parts India without tigers is unimaginable Born Free’s Living with Tigers initiative is working to conserve one of the largest remaining populations of tigers on Earth. Our goal is to safeguard wild tigers in central India while conserving their habitat and promoting co-existence.

With your help we can ensure the survival of India’s tigers for future generations.

SAVE WILD TIGERS TODAY

www.bornfree.org.uk/living-with-tigers Image © www.tigersintheforest.co.uk

Keep Wildlife in the Wild Charity No:1070906

MY

CONSERVATION

VIEW

FACE TO FACE

I recently travelled to India to find out first-hand how Born Free is protecting tiger populations in

Satpuda. While I was there, I saw wild tigers for the first time. A tigress and her two cubs appeared from the

undergrowth and sauntered down the jungle track. Known locally as ‘Shy’,

the tigress was anything but. With an

Why did Iceland stop using palm oil in all of its own label food?

Palm oil, like plastic packaging, has become the industry’s default solution because it is versatile and cheap. It finds its way into 50% of all supermarket products, from biscuits to soap. Soaring global demand is causing huge environmental damage, with 146 football pitches of tropical rainforest destroyed every hour in Indonesia alone. These forests are home to many endangered species including the orangutan.

Palm oil has become hard to avoid and we wanted to give customers the choice and apply pressure to the industry to clean up its act and deliver sustainable palm oil to the mass market. The recent announcement by the RSPO (Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil) of new standards that aim to achieve zero deforestation is an important move.

air of casual arrogance, she had total confidence in herself and her surroundings.

Why do you feel so passionately?

I grew up in a family that cared about the environment. My Dad took a global lead in banning GM ingredients from Iceland own label food in the 1990s; we were the first retailer to get serious about replacing ozone-destroying CFCs as a refrigerant.

I’ve been a long term supporter of Greenpeace and a keen walker, climber and surfer, so I’ve always cared deeply about the natural world.

Incredible as this encounter was, it

Were you surprised by public support after your recent Rang-tan TV ad was banned?

I think we can safely say we have gained more attention than if the ad had aired on commercial TV. I am told over 70 million people have now viewed it online, making it the most popular Christmas ad of all time. We’re hugely grateful and, more importantly, have helped make more people aware.

they live alongside is protected.

Is it important for big companies to take action on issues like this?

Hugely important – companies can’t just exist to make money, they have to use their power to do good. This is the right thing to do; but it’s also enlightened self-interest because consumers really care about the standards of businesses.

This can only increase as more spending power comes into the hands of Millennials and Generation Z – the most idealistic and media savvy group of consumers.

Born Free promotes Compassion Conservation – every animal counts!

We protect threatened species in their natural habitat | We oppose the global wildlife trade and ‘sport’ hunting | We reduce conflict so people and wild animals can co-exist

wasn’t the highlight of my visit. For

me, meeting the local people who live alongside tigers had a bigger impact.

People like our amazing Tiger

Ambassadors who are trained to

identify signs of tiger presence near their villages. Or the strong women finding their voice in largely a

male-dominated society. Or the

children showing dedication and

courage to make sure the wildlife

Living with natural predators like tigers is never going to be easy.

However, the people I met – and the

amazing projects we support – prove that co-existence is possible if

solutions are compassionate for all concerned.

Beth Brooks Communications Manager beth@bornfree.org.uk SPRING 2019 | CONSERVATION 9

© F Fortuna/BFF

Beth Brooks talks to Richard Walker, Managing Director of Iceland Foods, whose palm oil and orangutan advert was banned for being ‘too political’.

CONSERVATION

FRONTLINE

REDHEAD

Born Free supports the Orangutan Foundation’s vital work rescuing and rehabilitating imperilled orangutans and protecting their habitat. “Those too young to be translocated back into the wild enter our ‘soft release programme,’ where they learn the skills needed for life in the wild,” says Founder Ashley Leiman. Timtom was only nine months old when rescued from life as an exotic pet. “Amazingly, she survived this sad start to life, and today is the most adventurous of all the young orangutans,” says Ashley.

It is vital we work together to secure the future of these incredible apes.

© Orangutan Foundation

Deep in the heart of the Indonesian and Malaysian rainforests lives one of humankind’s closest relatives: a hairy red ape called the orangutan (meaning ‘person of the forest’). All three species, the Bornean, Sumatran, and newlydiscovered Tapanuli, are Critically Endangered and habitat loss is the single biggest threat. Global thirst for palm oil has driven a massive expansion in plantations, devastating 80% of orangutans’ rainforest home in the past 20 years. Individuals become stranded in the debris of the forest, starving and easy targets for poachers.

Emily Neil Msc Conservation Assistant emilyn@bornfree.org.uk

Coffee saves chimps

Bad day for hunters

To produce one cup of sun-grown coffee, one square inch of rainforest is destroyed – terrible news for chimps in uganda. But suppose we show the best coffee thrives in the shade of those trees? See www.bornfree.org.uk to find out more.

unlawful hunting is a big problem in africa, especially if corruption goes to the top.

The head of guinea’s Wildlife Division used to allow illegal hunting safaris but, thanks to our fearless eagLe colleagues, he is finally behind bars – a major victory.

10 coNsERVATIoN | SPRing 2019

© georgelogan.co.uk

© R Waddington

© georgelogan.co.uk

COnSeRVaTiOn NEWs IN BRIEF

Cooling down conflict elephants have giant appetites and can make light work of crops. But fabric doused in chilli oil is enough to deter these vast vegetarians. So we’ve built 4.5km of ‘chilli fencing’ to protect farmers’ fields in ethiopia and promote co-existence.

ANTIQUE WISDOM Finally, the government has listened.

Sales of antique and other ivory items have flourished in the UK in recent years. Shockingly, we were the world’s largest exporter and Born Free had fought resolutely to end the trade. “At last, the UK Ivory Bill restricting sales is law,” announced Will Travers.

“Now we must persuade the EU to do the same.”

WILD NEWS The latest news on Born Free animals, projects and people.

DON’T KILL, COMPETE!

Did you hear about this orphan chimp? Three-year-old Simon was taken from the wild, his family killed, to be sold as a pet in Guinea-Bissau. But, thanks to your donations, a glorious new life now beckons at a sanctuary in Kenya.

© F Fortuna/BFF

SAVING SIMON

© L Espírito Santo

Young Kenyan warriors no longer need to hunt lions to show off physical prowess and bravery. Instead, they take part in events such as javelin, jumping and running at the Maasai Olympics. Born Free is proud to sponsor Big Life Foundation’s biennual initiative, which saves lions and promotes co-existence.

MEET YOUR NEIGHBOUR Nearly 5,000 dangerous wild animals such as crocodiles, tigers and venomous snakes are kept in private hands. Thousands of you signed our petition calling for the outdated UK law to be radically changed. “We are grateful for your outpouring of support,” said Born Free’s Dr Chris Draper. “We will submit a detailed report to the government and keep you updated.”

SPRING 2019 | NEWS 11

The latest news on Born Free animals, projects and people.

TECH FIGHTS EXTINCTION What has conservation got to do with technology?

The STEM* Youth Innovation Competition was officially launched at London’s Royal Institution in January. Born Free is partnering with the British International Education Association to advance effective solutions. The initiative aims to inspire educators and young people worldwide. *Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

Using tech to monitor rare species

© dronesetc.com

WILD NEWS GIRAFFE ON THE MOVE

© Roland

Take the world’s rarest giraffe subspecies.

Protect them so well numbers increase ten-fold – from just 49 to over 600. Find an area in Niger where they used to live but became extinct. Then help Giraffe Conservation Foundation colleagues safely drive eight individuals 500 miles to establish a new population. A giraffe conservation triumph!

© I Blacker

CHRONICLES OF CRIME From badger baiting to bothering bats, wildlife crime is a big UK problem. Born Free worked with Link colleagues to produce a report on 2017 crime statistics. “Government needs to take this seriously,” said Born Free’s Dr Mark Jones. “We need central recording and reporting, so priorities can be set and resources directed effectively.”

Competition was fierce for our sixth annual Virginia McKenna Award for Compassionate Conservation. But congratulations to Jackson Mbeke, Director of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education project, who received a £15,000 bursary. “I am delighted we can support his life-saving work,”said Virginia, “Jackson and his team are outstanding.”

12 NEWS | SPRING 2019

Protecting endangered Grauer’s gorillas

© M Davison

AND THE WINNER IS…

TOILET AID © K MacElwee

How does a lavatory help to save our closest living relative and other rare species? In Uganda, our Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust colleagues are improving sanitation for local communities. New toilets help protect the environment, prevent pollution and disease, and help people to co-exist with wildlife.

LATE-BORN HOGLETS Our rescuer, Tarnya Knight, is over-wintering an incredible 40 hedgehogs. Born too late to survive on their own, these ‘autumn juveniles’ take an epic 2.5 hours to clean out and feed each night. “I also took in a female who gave birth to a brood of four last November,” said Tarnya. “It had been unseasonably warm, but I’ve never heard of hoglets born so late.”

HAS THE WORLD GONE MAD? Unbelievably, Queens ice rink in London was offering people the chance to skate with five Humboldt penguins in January. “Such stressful exploitation in a noisy venue was completely unacceptable,” said Born Free’s Samantha Goddard. “We urged the organisers to reconsider and thankfully they agreed to cancel the event.”

STEVE THE GELADA Our team in Ethiopia recently rescued a young gelada. Found only in the Ethiopian Highlands, this large cliff-climbing species is also known as the ‘bleeding-heart monkey’, and primarily eats grass. Steve had been caged and tied, and kept as a ‘pet’ in Addis Ababa, but is now recovering amongst our group of rescued geladas (see pic).

SPRING 2019 | NEWS 13

RESCUE & CARE

CARING FOR GOPAL

It’s not always feasible to return rescued animals to the wild.

Maggie Balaskas reports on how, with your support, we give individual tigers the best possible lifetime care.

L

ocated in Bannerghatta National Park in Southern India, Bannerghatta Tiger Sanctuary provides rescued tigers with space, peace and privacy in an area of the park closed to visitors. We began managing the expansive, natural habitat sanctuary 17 years ago, working closely with one of our partners in India, Wildlife SOS (p17).

With your help, Born Free has transformed the lives of many tigers – rescued from appalling conditions where they have been confined, exploited, abused or persecuted by people.

But we actually started rescuing tigers many years before this. The work began in 1987 with ‘Operation Tiger’, our charity’s very first animal rescue project.

Born Free rescued six Bengal tigers from the Cross Brothers Circus in Kent, where they were confined in a squalid beast wagon. Thanks to overwhelming public support, funds were raised to transport the tigers to a lush forest sanctuary in India, where our Bannerghatta Tiger Sanctuary is today.

More tiger rescues have followed over the years, with many of the tigers being rehomed at Bannerghatta. Four of them – Royale, Zeudy, Harak and King – were rescued from a circus in Italy, another – Ginny – from a zoo in Belgium and one, Roque (p16), from a pet shop in Barcelona. They all arrived at 14 RESCUE & CARE | SPRING 2019

Bannerghatta in 2002 and, surrounded by the vibrant sights and evocative sounds of wild India, very quickly settled into their ‘spiritual home’.

Bannerghatta also provides a home to wild-born individuals who have been casualties of human-tiger conflict in India (p4). Eleven-year-old Gopal is one such tiger, targeted when found to be preying on cattle and goats. He had been injured and was at risk of being killed by people when he was captured by the Indian authorities, who considered it too risky to release him back to the wild. So in 2014 we gave this bold and energetic tiger a lifetime home at Bannerghatta. With expert veterinary treatment from our colleagues at Wildlife SOS he recovered well from his wounds and today Gopal is flourishing.

The tigers at the sanctuary live in expansive enclosures or 'kraals', with indigenous forest habitat; trees to climb and dense vegetation to hide amongst. They all have fresh water pools in which they love to lie and relax. The animal care team also provide environmental enrichment, such as the use of scent trails and concealing food in trees and bushes.

This allows the tigers to exercise natural behaviours, including scenttracking and searching for meals.

Of course, sadly, this is not the same

as the freedom and challenges they would enjoy living in the wild.

Tragically, the conditions and events the tigers suffered before arriving have left them unsuitable for release. But at Bannerghatta they are given the respect and privacy they deserve, and as natural a life as possible.

Born Free will continue to work tirelessly to protect tigers in the wild, rescue individuals from appalling conditions, and campaign to end their captive exploitation – whether abused for ‘entertainment’, kept as ‘pets’ or farmed for their body parts. With your generous support, we will ensure that Bannerghatta’s tigers live an enriched life worth living, telling their stories to highlight the plight of their species.

Maggie Balaskas Animal Rescue & Care Manager maggie@bornfree.org.uk

NEW LIFE IN INDIA

In 1987 we rehomed six tigers from a UK circus

Zeudy had been exploited in an Italian circus

Ginny was rescued from a zoo in Belgium Roque was a victim of the exotic pet trade

Magnificent Gopal can disappear into trees and patrol his territory as he would in the wild SPRING 2019 | RESCUE & CARE 15

MY

VIEW

I started working for Born Free in 2002 just as we were about to

relocate six magnificent tigers to

Bannergatta in India. I have always

loved cats – big and small, so it was a privilege to be part of the team,

which saw them leave their restrictive temporary accommodation at a facility in Kent for an expansive forever home (p14).

One of those tigers was a young male we had rescued from a Spanish pet

shop – Roque. He is sadly no longer

with us, but he spent 16 years at our cared for and happy. I cannot imagine what his life would have been like if

you, our supporters, had not shown

such compassion and generosity. You enabled us to transform Roque’s life

and send this majestic animal and five other tigers – Zeudy, King, Royale,

Harak and Ginny, rescued from zoos

and circuses – to their ‘spiritual home’.

I am constantly amazed by your

RECENT RESCUE

HOWARD HEADS HOME

kindness. You ensure that, together, we can give these wonderful, wild

animals back their ‘freedom’. I simply thank you all for caring.

Nicky Piper Legacy Officer nickyp@bornfree.org.uk 16 RESCUE & CARE | SPRING 2019

Our use and disposal of plastic is of increasing concern, not least because wild animals such as foxes and hedgehogs are often attracted to thrown out plastic food containers and bottles.

Here are just two animals that have recently suffered due to our careless actions. Thankfully both survived.

A short time ago our friends at The Fox Project in Tunbridge Wells were alerted to a fox caught in what a householder thought was a detached cat flap. The plastic collar was, in fact, a discarded cereal dispenser lid. Often when an animal is caught in plastic or wire it will suffer from constriction injuries, which can become infected and even result in death.

Howard the fox was lucky, the lid was just wide enough to slip around his neck and, after a slap-up meal and a quiet night’s sleep he headed home the very next day.

Then Samantha the hedgehog was found stumbling around a garden, a plastic ring from a bottle top stuck firmly around her head. We believe she became entangled when just a juvenile, then, as she grew, the plastic became tighter and tighter around her. Arthur Lodge vets in Horsham kindly cared for her for three weeks whilst she recovered from her injuries. Happily Samantha was then able to return to the wild.

Tarnya Knight Programmes Support Coordinator tarnya@bornfree.org.uk

Born Free rescues individual animals from appalling conditions

We rehabilitate each one, giving expert, loving care | We release individuals to the wild whenever possible | We give lifetime care in world-class spacious sanctuaries

© The Fox Project

forest sanctuary in India, expertly

RESCUE & CARE

FACE TO FACE You also help us care for rescued tigers We have been working in partnership with Born Free and Karnataka Forest Department for over a decade for rescued tigers; our team of vets and care staff meeting their daily needs. The tigers enjoy privacy and lifetime care in large forested enclosures within Born Free’s centre (p14).

Why did you start Wildlife SOS? As a biologist I was awestruck by the beauty of the natural world. Butterflies, tigers, bears, leopards, snakes – all fascinated me. I was determined to help protect them and saddened at people’s intolerance to wildlife; their habitat fragmented with roads, buildings, train tracks, electric lines, housing etc.

What is special about tigers?

The tiger is India’s national animal, a symbol of nature’s beauty and integral to our rich culture. Despite being part of traditional tales, tigers suffer greatly due to human greed. For me, the tiger is a symbol of hope – that our efforts can save the fauna of this country.

What other species do you help?

Our greatest achievement was ending the barbaric practice of dancing bears in India. We rescued over 628 sloth bears, while helping the nomadic communities with alternative livelihoods. We also protect elephants, leopards, monkeys and birds, with our round the clock hotlines responding to distress calls.

What are your hopes for the future?

To work with organisations like Born Free to change the future for India’s wildlife. To establish more rapid response units, while educating children to protect our wild legacy.

Giving Gopal the best-possible life

© LWT

RESCUE & CARE NEWS iN bRiEf

Plastic peril

Snake escape

Fledgling facts

Dumped on a rubbish tip, 70kg giant tortoise Cracker had a badly cracked shell and impacted gut from eating plastic. Fortunately he responded well to treatment and is on the mend at our rescue centre in Ethiopia.

Weak and dehydrated when rescued, Norbert the python had been illegally used by a herbalist to promote her business.

After expert care by our Lilongwe Wildlife Centre colleagues, he recovered enough to be released to the wild in Malawi.

What does an orphan duckling like to eat?

Or how about a tawny owlet? To help local vets rescuing wildlife, Born Free and our Folly Wildlife Rescue friends have issued poster guides detailing emergency food and care tips for dozens of native bird species.

SPRING 2019 | RESCUE & CARE 17

© Wildlife SOS

Maggie Balaskas talks to Kartick Satyanarayan, CEO of our partners Wildlife SOS in India.

What is most challenging in your work?

We face challenges on many levels starting with changing mind-sets. Also finding financial resources, delays in helping animals in distress caused by red tape, and poachers and wildlife criminals using legal loopholes to escape punishment.

THE BIG PICTURE

BURNING

BRIGHT

Born Free has a renewed mission to inspire and empower the next generation to nurture the wild and change the world. Laura Gosset and David Bolton report.

18 THE biG PiCTURE | SPRING 2019

W

herever we are in the world, we live alongside wildlife.

From a human perspective, wild animals and plants are intrinsically linked to our environment and our lives.

However, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature classifies more than 26,500 species as threatened with extinction. The loss of any species from an ecosystem can have far-reaching impacts. Elephants, for example, act as ‘ecosystem engineers’, helping to sustain countless other species. They modify their landscape and maintain habitats by dispersing seeds, fertilising soil, digging for water and creating gaps in the dense undergrowth. Meanwhile,

tigers are an apex predator, at the top of their food chain. Where they thrive, forest watersheds, which countless species and millions of people rely on, remain intact.

Yet humanity has wiped out 60% of animal populations since 1970. The drivers of this decline include habitat loss and degradation, climate change and overexploitation of resources, with limited means for people and wildlife to co-exist – in a world faced with exponential human population growth.

To put this into perspective, the United Nations estimates there will be an extra one billion people living on the planet by 2030. If we, individually and

collectively, do nothing to protect the natural world, the catastrophic decline will continue. Our planet might never recover from this irreparable damage to wildlife, natural habitats and people alike. Doing nothing is simply not an option.

This may sound very familiar to many of you – the sheer scale of the challenge can make it feel like all hope is lost. But we can address the decline, and each of us has the power to change our own actions. If we work together we can make a huge difference for our world. It is simply a matter of taking the first step… and then the next...

SPRING 2019 | THE biG PiCTURE 19

Giraffe boom: rare subspecies on the up

Young Kenyan warriors compete

Million in action in Ethiopia

Indian children play the ‘web of life’

Let us tell you a story. The West African giraffe historically ranged across much of West and Central Africa. The subspecies played a vital role in protecting its environment from the spread of the Sahara desert by dispersing acacia seeds through its dung. But today this giraffe is confined to the south west corner of Niger, having undergone a dramatic decline in the 20th century due to habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and a series of severe droughts. It disappeared from most of its range, plummeting to just 49 animals in the 1990s. But today the population stands at 607 individuals, more than a tenfold increase, thanks to our partners at the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and their outreach work with local communities (p12). While there is still much to be done, this astonishing success reminds us we can change the tide of our impact on our wild neighbours and learn to thrive side by side.

Helping people understand the true value of wildlife, animal welfare and the environment will aid efforts to safeguard the future of all life on Earth. This is what Born Free’s education outreach aims to achieve. By working with schools, communities and policy-makers, we can 20 THE BIG PICTURE | SPRING 2019

impart knowledge and support positive actions that will lead to lasting change for the benefit of individual animals as well as entire species.

This astonishing success reminds us we can learn to thrive side by side with wildlife.

Over the last 35 years, Born Free has been working around the world to Keep Wildlife in the Wild (p36). A core objective from the beginning has been ‘to educate the public and advance the education of natural history, environmental studies, ecology and resource conservation’. With this in mind, in 2017 we established a dedicated education department within the organisation. Over the last year Born Free’s education team – currently located in the UK, Ethiopia, South Africa and Kenya – has started to refine and rethink how we inform, inspire and engage our young audience to promote compassion and environmental stewardship.

In Ethiopia, Million Genta and Bereket Girma have launched a programme with schools around our Ensessa Kotteh wildlife centre to establish environment

clubs. Working with interested students, they deliver a curriculum based around conservation and individual animal rescue and care. Meanwhile in Kenya, Phoebe Odhiang has been working with partner organisation Big Life at its Maasai Olympics (p11) to raise awareness about lion conservation and build new community relationships around Amboseli National Park.

Wild Crew, our free kids club with a monthly emailed Crew News, has had a facelift. After consulting with our supporters and friends, we plan to publish our first printed kids magazine in coming months, with wildlife facts, puzzles, activities, art, challenges, guest columns and STEM skills (see p21).

Thank you for your feedback.

These activities are just a taster of what our teams have been doing, and the start of an exciting new era for Born Free’s education work. But in developing any new programme it is good to learn from the experience of others. Recently we were grateful to visit Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust in Zambia, to experience their outstanding outreach model – successfully implemented in South Luangwa Valley for 20 years. In

THE BIG PICTURE

Find out more Visit www.bornfree.org.uk/ education to download our resources and join Wild Crew – our free club for curious kids who love the wild.

UK CASE STUDY

addition, members of our UK team visited longstanding partners at Satpuda Foundation and Bombay Natural History Society in India, who work with local communities to protect tigers. This was a great opportunity to learn from their effective schools programme – picking up a useful game or two along the way.

Our UK team has been busy leading workshops, assemblies and talks in schools, universities, scout and guide groups and a variety of other organisations. Working with young people is always energising and inspiring. Their views and thoughts, at any age, are not to be underestimated; after all, in the words of Dr Seuss: “Adults are just outdated children.”

We are looking forward to developing all of our programmes in 2019, including our work with our Global Friends partners across Africa, not to mention collaborating with Ships in the Night production company to present a new family play, Pangolin. Thanks to you, we reached our crowdfunding target, enabling this project to go full steam ahead (UK tour dates to be announced). In addition, we are partnering with the British International Education Association and its STEM Youth Innovation Competition, ‘Fighting Extinction’. This initiative will promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths learning and real-world application in schools globally, culminating in a final event in London this July.

A particular highlight of 2018 was working with Oak Lodge School, a specialist cognition and learning college in Barnet for students with a wide range of learning difficulties. Led by fantastic teachers Sally and Ginny, the whole school took part in a cross-curricular week, learning about lions and their conservation. They produced terrific artwork, and students produced a brilliant performance of our play Living with Lions, developed for Born Free by Manny Mvula (see pic).

We have a long journey ahead. But humans have the unique ability for long-term imagination, allowing us to glimpse what our climate and population might be like in 2032 for example – the year that children currently in Reception class will finish secondary school. The challenge we face is to ensure we have sufficient knowledge, motivation and means to halt and reverse the trend of habitat and species decline. We are committed to doing everything we can to create positive change and inspire young people to care about tigers, elephants, giraffes and all the wild animals we are fortunate enough to share this planet with.

There were many heart-warming stories, but this one sums it up: “A special young man engaged with your week more than teachers could imagine. Ihsan has autism and ADHD and cannot regulate himself in usual learning activities or concentrate in group settings. He joined the music workshop – anxious to get there – and participated through the whole two hours! This is remarkable for him. He watched the film Born Free with intense interest … absolutely transfixed on Elsa,” said Ginny D’Odorico, Deputy Headteacher.

Elsewhere, we have been creating engaging, fun and memorable learning materials, designed for varied ages and abilities. Free to download, these resources use conservation and welfare messages to help develop a range of skills, including decision-making, debating, persuasive writing and performing. They have already been downloaded 1,600 times since October 2018!

David Bolton UK Education Officer davidb@bornfree.org.uk

Laura Gosset Head of Education laura@bornfree.org.uk Photos © M Paulson, E Wamba, F Fortuna/BFF

SPRING 2019 | THE BIG PICTURE 21

CAPTIVITY

YOUR PET

TIGER? From 11th century menageries to the world’s first ‘modern’ zoo, the UK has a long history of captive tiger exploitation.

Time for a change, says Ellie Henderson.

Final curtain The first English circus opened in London 250 years ago and until last year big cats were still performing.

Thankfully, in 2018 Thomas Chipperfield was refused a licence to use a tiger and two lions in his travelling show. It’s time for all wild animals to take their final bow and let the circus industry move on from this obsolete cruelty.

22 CAPTIVITY | SPRING 2019

One thing that strikes me about our work is that the UK is considered to be a nation of ‘animal lovers’. Yet, magnificent creatures great and small are still exploited in so many ways in this country. One of my recent zoo visits was to Flamingo Land Resort in Yorkshire, where they keep Sumatran tigers. In the wild these animals may inhabit territories of around 240km2.

I paced out their Yorkshire enclosure, reported to be 2,500m2 in size. So just over 0.001% of the range they might have in the wild. Not surprisingly I saw the tigers pacing up and down repeatedly. Despite information boards about the zoo’s ‘conservation work’, when I asked a zoo keeper, she was hard-pressed to think of much.

On another recent visit I watched Sumatran tigers in their £3.6m enclosure at London Zoo. Despite a 191-year history and claims to ‘lead the way’ as the ‘world’s first scientific zoo’, this dated institution has never returned a tiger to the wild. Meanwhile, with a fraction of this budget, Born Free is making a real impact protecting tigers in their natural habitat (p6).

At least 250 tigers and other big cats are kept in private hands in the UK.

Not only are tigers found in zoos in Britain, there is also a shocking number kept in private hands or as ‘pets’. Our research in 2018 found at least 250 dangerous big cats including nine tigers, and these are just the animals kept legally. We have asked for the outdated laws around the private keeping of dangerous wild animals to be reviewed..Thanks to your help, our petition reached well over 10,000 signatures which meant the government had to formally respond on this issue (p11).

We have campaigned for decades for an end to wild animals in circuses.

Thankfully there are currently no tigers in travelling shows in the UK (see box).

But other species are still exploited, and it is still legal to use tigers, lions, elephants, in fact any wild animal in England if circuses can pass the requirements of the current licensing system. We need to ensure the Westminster government fulfils its promise of ‘a ban in England before January 2020’. See below to take action and help end this exploitation.

Life in the circus is no place for wild animals. They suffer considerably as they travel in cramped trailers, endure barren temporary housing and perform unnatural tricks in front of noisy audiences. Thankfully, over 40 countries now have a ban on wild animals in circuses, including Scotland.

Wales is proposing a ban and recently launched a public consultation. We were overwhelmed by your support when over 4,000 of you responded to our campaign to support the potential Welsh ban.

My first few months at Born Free have been a huge learning experience.

I have strongly opposed animals in captivity for decades with my recent zoo visits only strengthening my resolve. Last year, with your vital support, we made some great progress for captive wild animals – a huge thank you! But we have a lot of new work in progress for 2019 and will be in touch with news about how you can help.

You can help Support our campaign to ensure that the promise to ban wild animals in circuses in England is fulfilled at www.bornfree.org.uk/englishcircus-ban

Ellie Henderson Captivity Campaigns Manager ellie@bornfree.org.uk SPRING 2019 | CAPTIVITY 23

Photos © C Davey, J Martinez

I

have recently started as Captivity Campaigns Manager at Born Free.

It’s a huge privilege to work here, but also an enormous challenge as we seek an end to captive animal suffering. I have joined an amazing team and we are fortunate to have a small group of wonderful volunteers to help magnify our impact. With you by our side we tackle zoos, aquaria, circuses, exotic pets and more.

MY

VIEW

When I was growing up, a trip to

the zoo or watching animals in the circus on television was just

another form of entertainment. As children we accepted it because

we knew nothing different. However, even at that age I would find a film

like Born Free strangely emotional.

I began to recognise this was because I felt animals had an

absolute right to their freedom and we had no right to deprive them of it, for our own selfish reasons.

Fortunately my children now live in

a more enlightened age. They don’t like to see animals in captivity.

SEA LION SHOWS

Instead they are fascinated by wildlife documentaries on the

television and love to see animals

in the wild. I have been fortunate to experience some incredible

animals in their own environment.

I hope in some small way, by

choosing to work for Born Free,

I am helping to bring our message

to a wider audience, and that in the future we can end the exploitation

and leave animals in the wild where they belong.

Treated like a clown Here in the UK, there hasn’t been a single whale or dolphin in captivity for nearly 30 years, since Born Free helped return three of the last captive dolphins to the wild in 1990. As a nation of ‘animal lovers’ we’ve widely celebrated being dolphinaria-free, maintaining a deep-rooted affection for these species long after we stopped exploiting them for ‘entertainment’.

© B Jaschinski/BFF

But for some marine mammals, the shows never stopped. Not for the dozens of sea lions still held in zoos across the country. For them the facile tricks continue, begging the question; have we accepted their exploitation or simply over-looked it? Born Free recently visited six sea lion shows in zoos across Britain and was shocked to see these intelligent, sentient animals still being made to catch hoops, balance balls, even do handstands for the visiting public. Can you believe animals are still treated as clowns in British zoos?

Stephen Chandler Head of Compliance & Standards stephen@bornfree.org.uk 24 CAPTIVITY | SPRING 2019

These inane shows teach visitors, including many children, that sea lions’ natural behaviour includes kissing,

waving, gymnastics and balancing items on their noses. They reinforce the damaging, archaic view that animals are ours to use for entertainment. While sea lions are kept in pools a few metres deep (at best), their wild counterparts enjoy coasts and oceans, diving to depths of up to 240 metres and reaching speeds of 25mph.

Born Free continues to challenge the use of any wild animal for performance in zoos worldwide and in the UK; be it a sea lion show in a British zoo, an elephant forced to perform in Thailand, or a parrot show in Central America.

Join us and take a stand against animal shows by choosing not to visit any facility using a wild animal in performance. Thank you.

You can help Spread the word and encourage family and friends never to visit a wild animal show.

Samantha Goddard Captivity Campaigns Officer samantha@bornfree.org.uk

Born Free is the voice for captive animals worldwide

We challenge exploitation and cruelty | We expose suffering and neglect | We seek an end to zoos, circuses and dolphinaria

CAPTIVITY

It’s 35 years since Born Free was founded, following the tragic death of Pole Pole the elephant at London Zoo. Today, elephants are still stolen from their wild families to be the victims of captive exploitation. We receive hundreds of reports from people shocked to witness what these majestic animals have been reduced to. Held in zoos, chained in temples, exploited in circuses and abused for riding. Young and old, male or female, many captive elephants bear both mental and physical scars.

Of course, it’s not just elephants.

Millions of wild animals continue to be exploited in captivity and we need your help. Your reports, photos and videos provide vital information and help us take action and raise awareness of the issues.

Have you recently encountered a captive wild animal you were concerned about?

Were you uneasy about how they were being housed or treated? Did the animals appear to be behaving abnormally or were they forced to perform in shows?

You can help Send me your reports via our online form at www.bornfree.org.uk/report, call 01403 240170 or send me a letter.

© A Gekoski/Caters News

YOUR REPORTS Sarah Jefferson Captivity Programme Information Officer sarahj@bornfree.org.uk

Shocking abuse of this majestic animal

YOU SPEAK OUT

“Holding a blanket

over their heads”

“She was clea

rly distressed

“I asked Dudley Zoo keepers why their orangutans held blankets over their heads.

They gave different answers – ‘it’s to do with stress’ or ‘it's when they’re in season’.”

Born Free continues to investigate, and challenge the UK zoo industry.

”

“Visiting a temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka, I saw an elephant chained by her legs, unable to move. Standing in her excrement, she swayed her trunk and was distressed.”

Born Free is in touch with authorities and has expressed concern.

© J McArthur

© istock

© A Gekoski

CAPTIVITY NEWS IN BRIEf

Travelling dolphins

Catch up England

New dolphinaria?

Help us call on Indonesian authorities to end mobile dolphin shows. These self-aware, complex animals perform tricks in makeshift pools, and travel from city to city in the back of a truck. Visit www.bornfree.org.uk/take-action

Portugal is the latest nation to ban wild animal circuses. Due to come into force by 2024, this will affect over 1,000 animals.

Similar bans are sweeping across the globe in over 40 countries including Scotland. And England? See p23.

Please join us to speak out against a proposed dolphinarium in Budapest.

Media has reported Tropicarium Aquarium’s plans, despite a ban on imports of dolphins into Hungary. Visit www.bornfree.org.uk/take-action SPRING 2019 | CAPTIVITY 25

VIRGINIA McKENNA

TIGERS IN

LONDON Thirty-five years after London Zoo’s Director dismissed us as a ‘nine day wonder’, Virginia McKenna makes one of many return visits to the zoo where our work first began.

V

isiting a UK zoo in winter is always a challenge. Most animals are inside, keeping warm; there are few visitors, especially in term time. It was certainly like this a few weeks ago when I went with three colleagues to London Zoo. A zoo which holds, for me, some of my saddest memories. You may recall the tragic story of a young African elephant, called Pole Pole, who ended her solitary teenage life in the zoo in 1983. She had been captured, as a little two-year-old, by the Kenyan government in 1968 as a gift to the zoo.

Her story is written more fully elsewhere, but the final tragic chapter took place as she was held in her travelling crate, preparing to go to Whipsnade. She collapsed, damaged a leg and was subsequently put to sleep. This is when our small campaign group, Zoo Check, was born, renamed Born Free in 1991.

Today the zoo has no elephants. The old compound has a notice saying it is

26 Virginia McKEnna | SPRING 2019

now inhabited by bearded pigs. To me it holds sad memories, and is still bleak and depressing.

Attempts have been made to introduce some ‘character’ into various aspects of the zoo. For instance, you can ‘visit’ India as you go to see the tigers, with ‘shops’, food and music enticing you to imagine you are in a fascinating far-away land. We saw two tigers, a male asleep (I gather he will be moved to another zoo soon), and a female who constantly paced her enclosure.

To the visitor, her area may look generous and interesting but, I suggest, if you have lived in it for months or years on end the sense of adventure and discovery will have diminished – if not vanished.

So, we saw beautiful giraffe in their ‘house’, chewing on a bundle of leafless sticks hung up high for them to reach. We watched African hunting dogs, alert as they saw the keepers

approaching with their food – lightyears from the plains where they would normally hunt and fulfil their natural social lives. Their enclosure, which borders the busy road along the north of the zoo, has scant grass and token shrubs. For me the saddest aspect of this area was the indoor quarters of the okapi. Granted it is a solitary species, but one that lives in rainforests, not in a small concrete cell. Shut up for the night at 3pm.

The huge male gorilla Kumbuka made the news not so long ago, when he managed to escape through an unlocked door and access the area outside the cage. Here he was today, together with several other gorillas of all ages, watching, waiting, enduring. I need say no more. A pygmy hippo flopped about in its small indoor pool. A beautiful Asian male lion and several females lay in a sheltered concrete area on this cold day, so far from their homeland.

The Snowdon Aviary will now be a new home for Colobus monkeys, those

Nature confined destroys the soul

Photos © www.georgelogan.co.uk, Adnana Istratescu, A Gotts

Enclosed with just bare sticks to chew

fascinating, beautiful primates who live in forests. What will they think as they watch the traffic pass from their new ‘home’! As on my last visit, we left by the exit on Prince Albert Road. Some of the small bird cages I saw then were now no longer occupied. But a few were, and my sadness was even stronger than before. As we walked through the zoo we saw signs saying ‘we love wildlife’ time and again. But how can you keep an animal you ‘love’ like that?

For me, the zoo concept has long passed its sell by date. Let us instead gaze in wonder and delight at the remarkable wildlife films, and visit our woodlands, moors and estuaries. Let’s show some respect for those innocent prisoners detained for our ‘pleasure’ and say, enough is enough.

Virginia McKenna OBE Co-Founder & Trustee

What a contrast with life in the wild

Okapi. No words are needed

You treat a creature you love like this?

So far from their homeland

Where lions belong – in Africa

Kumbuka watches, waits, endures

Shameful home for this solitary bird

“What are zoos for? To fool a society, increasingly out of touch with nature, into believing we are still ‘connected’? For the animals – when virtually none will be returned to the wild? For our children – whose wildlife education can be far better served without perpetuating the captive concept? Access to nature makes the spirit soar and heals the heart. Nature confined destroys the soul.”

Will Travers OBE, President & Co-Founder

SPRING 2019 | VIRGINIA McKENNA 27

EXECUTIVE DECISIONS

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE As our determination to end suffering, exploitation and indifference grows, so does our compassion. Howard Jones reports on creating the change we want to see, and planning great things.

Conservation at 13,000ft, on the edge of existence. It is hard to recount a more magical time.

Howard Jones Chief Executive Officer howard@bornfree.org.uk 28 EXECUTIVE DECISIOnS | SPRING 2019

However, this is personal, and very little has matched the experience of the Bale Mountains with Prof Claudio Sillero and his wonderful Ethiopian wolf team. I haven’t spent eight hours in a Land Rover for many years, but at least, this time, it ended in pleasure – conservation at 13,000ft, on the edge of existence. It is hard to recount a more magical time, allowed with a unique and priceless passport, just because of the job that I do.

My learning process continues, as I come into the world of wildlife and the failure to understand the vital need for co-existence. My life experience of human conflict, injustice towards each other, inequality and suffering, mixed with extraordinary stories of survival, redemption, resilience, is one thing. On the other hand, our capacity for enterprise, forgiveness and compassion beyond all odds, gives me insight to know we can turn this around. We always have done, and always will, though perhaps we often leave it a little late.

What seems to be a default, for many, to want to out-compete and dominate, to exploit and win, with perhaps a recent dive towards vulgarity, does not lead to smart strategies. But we know this. Our

memories and our ability to communicate should help turn these failings into collective wisdom. Isn’t this the Age of Intelligence? If so, why isn’t co-existence a global compact?

The Born Free team has been asked to examine why we may be observing a catastrophic decline to a global mono-culture, an ecosystem that may not include us. That’s the general context, but within it we are taking a close look at the conditions that are in place. Are we being intelligent enough about conservation, protection and active development of habitats, along with models for co-existence?

Can we do more to promote the value of compassion, without which we continue to lock up animals for our entertainment, drain their bile, or skin their scales for ‘medicine’? Can we ever contemplate successful reversals of habitat destruction, hunting and conflict, without the compassion that begins with knowing that imprisonment and vicarious pleasure, from the pain of animals, is wrong.

Do we have the right treaties and agreements, conventions and policies, to develop the value of the world around us, so that diversity holds the high-ground and our hard wiring for exploitation can be unpicked? Are we employing the levels of technology and expertise to match our challengers?

Have we explored why the present is heavily overvalued as the future is discounted, and is there a more intelligent way to shape our economics and lead us away from a race to poverty?

The team is alive to these points and I am challenging us to be different. We must question how CITES*, a trade body, remains one of our only options for protecting endangered species.

Because I happen to be from an unusual set of world experience, I see life through a kaleidoscope, rather than a lens. This is why, stemming from frustration at last year’s International Wildlife Trade conference in London, where nothing really happened, I am re-invigorated with the art of looking sideways. The look of hope in tired eyes, as the idea of Conservation Bonds (an evolution of Social Impact Bonds, with which I was involved back in 2008) is put forward, to translate the power of investment markets into value-added interventions and the recognition of natural capital, is a great motivator for us.

The enthusiasm of senior figures in government, for partnerships, and for a NGO** that actually knows something about working in coalitions with others (public, private or commercial), is inspiring. As a result, we are moving forward with proposals for those Bonds. Alongside this, we are putting together a coalition of the very best agencies working with light aviation, surveillance, tracking, intelligence, secure communications, training, investigation and prosecution. This supports the proposition that Born Free knows its way around. We know how best to provide Integrated Wildlife Protection, who to work with, and that we can fundraise for it. It’s a priority area for us, and Born Free is equipped to deliver.

We are moving into exciting times, and with a team that is becoming equipped to match new challenges. We are building on what we have achieved, backing the team, sticking to the rules we have created for good management and planning for great things ahead. *Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species **Non governmental organisation

© E Bedin/EWCP

I

t’s been quite a time, this last year or so. From a personal perspective, our Born Free team, whether in Horsham or Shamwari, Ethiopia or Kenya, is taking real responsibility for the clear aims and freedoms that are theirs, within the structure that we have built.

Initiatives and ideas, requests and demands are a welcome part of daily life. Such things only come from a confident group, from individuals with professional maturity, and it feels really good to be challenged.

SPRING 2019 | EXECUTIVE DECISIONS 29

MY VISION

FOR WILDLIFE Born Free Trustee, wildlife blogger and Education Editor for National Geographic Kids, Kate Stephenson shares her love for the wild and dreams for the future.

L

ike most people, I loved animals as a child – I just never lost that interest. The first time I realised that wildlife needed our help was when I was about seven years old. My mum adopted Born Free’s Roque the tiger for me (p15) and I started reading about the threats that tigers faced in the wild.

I’d say that’s where my passion for conservation started.

My first wildlife hero was Virginia McKenna — her stirring speech in the film Born Free about Elsa the lioness being ‘born free, so she should live free’ resonated with me even as a kid.

People like Virginia made me want to change the world. Even if that meant one person at a time.

I knew my life would be entwined with wildlife when, aged 18, I spent three months volunteering with Born Free at Shamwari Private Game Reserve in South

“An outstanding writer and blogger, Kate is a remarkable asset to our team.

Her heart burns with compassion.”

Will Travers OBE President & Co-Founder

30 MY VISION fOR WIlDlIfE | SPRING 2019

Africa. It changed my entire life perspective.

Seeing animals in this environment, living as wild a life as possible, really made me realise that the conditions we see in zoos and marine parks across the globe are far less than satisfactory.

Once you've seen herds of elephants roaming for miles a day, lion prides lazing in the sun with full bellies after an afternoon of hunting and leopards hidden among the branches of trees, it's very hard to accept relatively small enclosures with basic 'enrichment'.

When I returned I started my Kate on Conservation blog, to be a voice among young people, to inspire them to care about the protection of wildlife and why it’s important. Blogging and social media have also taught me that we all have the ability to inform others. It’s easy to campaign online, lobby MPs, sign petitions and share information with others.

I've now been a Born Free Trustee for just over a year, and it's been a fascinating learning curve for me. It’s a great reassurance to see how things work behind the scenes. I'm proud to be involved with such a genuine, passionate and dedicated organisation, who not only rescue individual animals, but also lobby governments, tackle some of the biggest global issues, such as wildlife trade, and work on the ground to mediate cases of human-wildlife conflict.

The desperate plight of so many of our planet’s wild species keeps me motivated.

When you hear that there are less than 20,000 lions left in the wild in Africa; that if things remain as they are, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050; and when in 2018 we all lost the last male northern white rhino in existence — it’s enough to motivate me to spend the rest of my life trying to make a difference.

A FUTURE FOR WILDLIFE OUR VISION At Born Free we work tirelessly to ensure all wild animals, whether in captivity or the wild, are treated with compassion and respect. We oppose the exploitation of wild animals in captivity and campaign to keep them where they belong – in the wild. We promote Compassionate Conservation to enhance the survival of threatened species in the wild and protect natural habitats, while safeguarding the welfare of individual animals.

We work for a future where animals thrive in the wild We work for a future where animals are not exploited We work for a future where animals and people co-exist

YOUR SUPPORT Our vision for the future isn’t possible without the support of compassionate, like-minded iindividuals like you. If you share this vision then please get involved and help us to #KeepWildlifeinttheWild

“Who will now care for the animals, for they cannot look after themselves? Who will raise their voices, when mine is carried away on the wind?”

George Adamson Conservationist

WILL YOU BE A VOICE FOR WILDLIFE? Take action

Join the conversation

Our high-profile campaigns and petitions take real action and influence decision makers.

Get involved and help change attitudes today!

Follow us on social media and become part of the Born Free community. Join over 500,000 supporters – together we can make a difference.

www.bornfree.org.uk E bornfreefoundation Image © www.georgelogan.co.uk

D @bornfreefdn

Q @bornfreefoundation Charity No:1070906

We were joined by Carol Vorderman

Will, Virginia and Joanna were delighted to welcome HRH the Countess of Wessex

BORN FREE EVENTS SPECIAL EVENING WITH VIRGINIA MCKENNA OBE

How to Train Your Dragon author Cressida Cowell

To mark the start of our 35th anniversary, our Co-Founders Virginia McKenna OBE and Will Travers OBE, together with Founder Patron Joanna Lumley OBE, hosted a special ‘women in conservation’ evening at London’s Hari Hotel in January.

Special guests included HRH the Countess of Wessex, How To Train Your Dragon author Cressida Cowell, TV’s Carol Vorderman, wildlife presenter Liz Bonnin, as well as loyal Born Free supporters and some corporate partners including British Airways, Catherine Onions, Kate Cavell from Allen & Overy and Jane-Emma Peerless from Caxton FX. We were delighted to welcome friends, old and new, to this wonderful evening of discussion about some of the biggest issues facing conservation today, and how we can work together to help wild animals thrive.

Liz Bonnin chats to Virginia and Joanna Images © F Crawshaw

UPCOMING EVENTS WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU! 18th March Wildlife Heroes special event Hari Hotel, London Join Virginia McKenna OBE and CEO Howard Jones for a Born Free night of celebration.

17th June Edinburgh, 18th June Penrith, 19th June Gateshead, 20th June Manchester In conversation about Compassionate Conservation: An evening with Will Travers OBE Our President on tour will look back over 35 years and consider issues facing wildlife today.

32 ENTERPRISE | SPRING 2019

SPECIAL THANKS 1st – 7th July Big Cat Nap ‘Do nothing’ for charity and raise money for Born Free the lazy way!

6th September 35th Anniversary Event Landmark Hotel, London Save the date! Details coming soon for our exclusive Born Free evening, at this iconic venue.

Find out more For all Born Free events visit www.bornfree.org.uk/events

Born Free supporters Val Hackett and Mike Carey held a Wish For Freedom dinner at Burton Albion Football Club in November. This was their 17th event in aid of Born Free and the evening raised over £15,000. See bornfree.org.uk/ fundraising for a full list of fundraisers.

WILL YOU BE THE ONE? “Everything we do is about one.

One animal, One animal suffering, One animal we can help, One species, One person, One community, One leader and that one becomes one more.”

Virginia McKenna OBE

We are proud to launch a unique and exclusive collaboration of people passionate about enabling and supporting women in conservation to make a difference to wild animal welfare and protection. From all walks of life, Virginia’s Circle of Compassion will meet several times a year to ensure funds raised through their membership will empower and support female leaders in conservation.

Contact our Relationship Manager Claire Kidd at clairek@bornfree.org.uk to find out more.

COULD WE BE YOUR CHARITY OF THE YEAR? Did you know Born Free works with business big and small to help fund our vital wildlife projects? From international hotel chains and airlines, to boutique businesses – we are proud to work with a range of corporate and fundraising partners, which each benefit from their association with one of the world’s most recognisable wildlife conservation brands.

If your organisation has a caring and compassionate team and a strong CSR focus, then why not support us through a corporate partnership? Teaming up with Born Free will create a hugely positive impression to your customers and amongst staff, supporters and friends. Being visionary enough to support a cause you believe in can help boldly differentiate your product from others. It shows your brand has values, strength and integrity.

We are looking for organisations to support Born Free through Charity of the Year schemes. If you love wildlife and support our work, then Charity of the Year is the perfect way to get our Compassionate Conservation message across to YOUR colleagues and team members, whilst promoting your brand to a huge global audience, through valuable advertising and PR opportunities.

To find out more please contact our Corporate Development Manager Hitesh Patel at hitesh@bornfree.org.uk

Images © www.georgelogan.co.uk, www.margotraggettphotography.com

SPRING 2019 | ENTERPRISE 33

HEROES

WILDLIFE Your chance to meet remarkable Born Free people and be inspired by their passion for the wild.

“One need not be a scientist or a biologist to be a saviour of wildlife or the environment – it only needs the will and the passion to do it,” believes Poonam Dhanwatey, Co-Founder of the Tiger Research and Conservation Trust (TRACT), part of Born Free’s Living with Tigers programme.

Poonam should know. About 18 years ago, she quit a career in interior design to pursue her passion for tigers. With her husband, Harshawardhan, she set up TRACT to conserve wild tigers, their prey and habitat in central India. Since then, TRACT has worked closely with local communities in the forests of Satpuda to mitigate human-wildlife conflict and improve livelihoods.

Key to their success has been involving local people so that they are the solution to conflict. “I’ve showcased the fact that every bit helps and every one can,” Poonam explains. “We’ve brought together information about more than 350 attacks on people by tigers and leopards to understand conflict better and to find solutions. We’ve helped local communities believe in co-existence of people and wildlife.”

Through this work, TRACT has trained leaders and more than 1,300 youths in 195 villages, as well as more than 500 forest personnel. It has also improved basic amenities in villages through initiatives such as building toilets and introducing bio-gas fuel for cooking. Not only do these initiatives improve livelihoods, they also reduce the need for villagers to enter the forest, therefore reducing conflict with tigers. This approach is working. According to TRACT, incidents of conflict have decreased in Satpuda, even though the tiger population is now on the up.

“Tigers are the most beautiful creatures on Earth,” says Poonam. “I love being in the forest and seeing tigers – and while doing so, the thought of having saved a few of them.

The thought that every effort brings a positive change.”

Poonam believes that the contribution TRACT has made in the forests of central India will continue well into the future. Her vision for wildlife 20 years from now is that a ‘social fence’ will surround Satpuda where people and wild animals co-exist peacefully. “We need to protect the environment – green cover and water – before it is too late,” Poonam adds. “Each of us can do our bit in our own backyard.”

Poonam was speaking to Beth Brooks, Born Free’s Communications Manager.

34 WIlDlIfE HEROES | SPRING 2019

18th March Wildlife Heroes Special Event The Hari, Belgravia, London Hosted by CEO Howard Jones, join Co-Founders Virginia McKenna OBE and Will Travers OBE to celebrate inspirational Born Free people who dedicate their lives to wildlife conservation. Limited tickets – see www.bornfree.org.uk/events

LEAVE A GIFT OF COMPASSION

PROTECT FUTURE

GENERATIONS

After taking care of your loved ones, your Will is your chance to change the world for the better. By leaving Born Free a gift, you can help us save animal lives, stop suffering and rescue individuals. Now that’s a legacy to be proud of!

In 2017, legacies produced 28% of our charity’s income. These precious gifts helped us protect wild animals in their natural habitat. By remembering Born Free in your Will you can also help us care for wild animals in the long term, and may reduce your tax bill as well.

Keep Wildlife in the Wild with Born Free!

Find out more about leaving a gift to wild animals in your Will by emailing Rachel Tilley at rachel@bornfree.org.uk Image © www.tigersintheforest.co.uk

Charity No:1070906

1

LION

6

2

AFRICAN ELEPHANT

7

3

GIRAFFE

8

4

CHIMPANZEE

9

5

CHEETAH

10

TIGER

ORCA

BROWN BEAR

BADGER

ETHIOPIAN WOLF

11

12

13

14

15

GORILLA

16

LEOPARD

17

ASIAN ELEPHANT

18

POLAR BEAR

19

GREEN TURTLE

20

RHINO

ORANGUTAN

HEDGEHOG

VERVET

JAGUAR

21

22

23

24

25

MOON BEAR

DOLPHIN

HYENA

FOX

DUGONG

26

27

28

29

30

HIPPO

31

HARE

BABOON

32

GELADA

SERVAL

33

GIANT TORTOISE

PANGOLIN

34

BASKING SHARK

MARMOSET

35

NOT FORGETTING US!

IT’S YOUR 35TH ANNIVERSARY! To mark 35 years of working together for wild animals in need, here are just 35 of the dozens of species you’ve helped Born Free protect and rescue since 1984. We couldn’t do it without you!

Find out more at www. bornfree.org.uk

Keep Wildlife in the Wild Charity No:1070906