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4 minute read
MANAGING COLLECTIONS AND LIVING ECOSYSTEMS: SOPHISTICATED TACTICS BEHIND THE SCENES
• BY MARION SPÉE
Presenting animal, insect and arthropod populations to the public means managing countless details behind the scenes. It means juggling a variety of elements: laws, import and export permits, affinities between species or individuals, births, exchanges, donations and renewals. It's a lot more complicated than transferring a hockey player from one team to another, even if though it doesn't get as much press.
AT THE BIODÔME: THE CHALLENGE OF COHABITATION AND GENETICS
Most of the habitats in the facility are ecosystems that contain a host of different species. Cohabitation is absolutely essential and the choice of species is no mean feat! While it is relatively easy to avoid putting prey and predators together, avoiding other combinations is not so plainly obvious. "For example, some parasites in birds require the presence of mollusks to complete their life cycle. We must therefore avoid putting them in the presence of each other," explains Gheylen Daghfous, curator of the Living Collections at the Biodôme.
The Biodôme can count on the experience of partners who are also members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The AZA is an accreditation organization that guarantees standards of integrity, health and well-being for captive wildlife species; it is also a valuable network.
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Photo: Espace pour la vie/Claude Lafond
Managing living collections means maintaining genetically healthy populations. Why? Mostly to prevent hereditary diseases, to guarantee a genetic diversity that encourages individuals to adapt to their environment, and to ensure a reserve population for the conservation of the species. This is another advantage of being a member of the AZA. "It allows for management at the population level," says Daghfous. The choice of partners is not limited to the Biodôme's residents, but to all those of the AZA's many member institutions. And here’s the icing on the cake: for certain species, such as the golden lion tamarin or the king penguin, the Biodôme participates in specific sustainability programs supervised by the accreditation body. Biologists specializing in this field specifically look for the best possible matches for these species to preserve genetic diversity. It's a tailor-made approach!
AT THE INSECTARIUM: THE CHALLENGE OF RENEWAL
"For the reopening, I was asked to renew the living collection as much as possible," says Stéphane Le Tirant, curator of the scientific collection of the Insectarium. Quite a challenge! For exclusivities, you need to find insects that have never been bred in Montreal, and to contact suppliers who can think outside the box. Fortunately, the team can count on the international network of contacts the entomologist has developed during his 30-year career. To find rare gems, the team established a series of selection criteria: the little creatures must be able to be imported into the country and exported elsewhere, have a long lifespan, interesting educational potential and, above all, be spectacular! The goal is to amaze visitors.
The Great Vivarium will be open all year round and will be able to accommodate specimens from all over the world. And that's not all! In addition to butterflies, the space will host ants, beetles and many other specimens. "We are the first institution in Canada to have the right to display several types of insects in such a greenhouse," says the entomologist. A team of pioneers.
The team has been preparing to greet new species for years now. But six months before the global COVID-19 pandemic hit, things were already starting to get complicated. Some of the usual transporters announced that they would stop transporting arthropods. Scorpions had escaped during a flight, putting the pilots in a quite understandable state of stress. Then, the pandemic brought the level of complexity up a notch by shutting down many flights. So a plan B had to be set in motion, relying on the entomologist's high-level contacts and on the expertise of the whole team. “For example, I brought insects from Indonesia, transiting them through Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore," explains Stéphane Le Tirant. “An entomologist friend of mine collected them in Berlin, kept them in captivity, and had them lay eggs until we could finally bring them here.” Quite a large detour!
Given the efforts made to find rare gems from all over the world, the team is more than proud to finally present them to the public!
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Photo: Espace pour la vie/Thierry Boislard
Stilpnochlora couloniana, a species of grasshopper that will be presented in the new Insectarium