Zoos Print

Magazine of Zoo Outreach Organisation Vol. XXVII No. 6, June 2012

ISSN 0971-6378 (Print); 0973-2543 (Online)

CRISIS in Dhaka Zoo, Bangladesh Dhaka Zoo has been in crisis for some years now due to many wrongful practices by the Ministry administering the zoo ... routine transfer of officials, paltry budget for zoo infrastructure, lack of discipline, corrupt practices, lack of expertise, refusal of Ministry to provide training, etc. Government has come to the rescue of the zoo but Ministry spends the funds taking large groups of people to see the world’s zoos, and ordering over 250 exotic animals that inadequately trained zoo personnel are unable to care for. It happened also two years ago but no lesson was learned.

Leopard in despair after years in a cage that can be surrounded by visitors and has no mate or enrichment. Hoolock gibbons ordered from illegal trappers. Waterless crocodillian on concrete. Ribs stick out on a chronically ill female Indian rhinoceros. Just a few of the indicators that Dhaka Zoo needs many changes.

Date of Publication: 7 July 2012

Magazine of Zoo Outreach Organisation Vol. XXVII No. 6, June 2012

ISSN 0971-6378 (Print); 0973-2543 (Online)

Contents Editorial: Dhaka Zoo, 12 Years Observation and a Personal Rant by ..., Sally Walker, Pp. 1-3 South Africa: Rhinos and Lions ... Hippos and Zebras ... Giraffes and Kudus ... Hyenas striped and spotted ...Oh My!, Sarah Pappin, Pp. 4-6 Dhaka Zoo Improvement Initiative -- a Bangladeshi Professor’s outlook during the first Dhaka Zoo Advisory Committee, Pp. 7-8 Dhaka Zoo ... now Bangladesh National Zoo ... a casual inspection, Sally Walker, Pp. 9-11 Nepal Zoo Network - Mini Zoos, Deer Parks, Breeding Centres to Communicate, Cooperate, and Collaborate for better Zoo Conservation, Sally Walker and Sarita Jnawali, Pp. 12-13

Ten elephants of Cologne Zoo in summer 2006 © H. Feller.

Kathmandu Zoo - National Trust for Nature Conservation / Central Zoo getting a makeover, Pp. 14-16 Captive Wild Animal Facilities in Nepal : Some details, Sarita Jnawali, Pp. 17-20 Central Zoo takes the Lead, Sally Walker, Pp. 21-22 Cologne’s Elephant Park Gunther Nogge, Pp. 23-27 ‘Thousand Leggers’, B.A. Daniel, P. 28 Sighting of Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus at Haripura Reservoir in Uttarakhand, India Anushree Bhattacharjee, P. 29 Save the Knifetooth Sawfish (Anoxypristis cuspidata) (Latham, 1794), Devdatta Gopal Lad, P. 30

Central Zoo takes the Lead. See Pp. 12-22

Announcement: The 4th International Congress on Zoo Keeping, Singapore, P. 30 Leaping Ahead of Amphibian Extinction….a celebration of good news for amphibians in 2012. Complied by R. Marimuthu, Pp. 31-36 Announcement: 2012 International Aquarium Congress (IAC), South Africa, Cover Page.

Thousand Leggers, Large brown millipede. Photo: Preston Ahimz. See P. 28

Editorial: Dhaka Zoo, 12 Years Observation and a Personal Rant by ...

Sally Walker My first visit to Dhaka, Bangladesh was in 1999 to invite the Curator, Dy. Curator and others to the first meeting of South Asian Zoo Directors which was organised by Zoo Outreach Organisation and Central Zoo, Nepal. The objective of this meeting was to see if South Asian zoo personnel would like to come together in a Regional Zoo Association. At that time and even now, only India had a national zoo association but very much in its own style.

The Bangladeshi’s were delighted with the idea and agreed to attend if they could get permission from their government. The Curator, Dy. Curator and their gracious staff took me around the zoo where I was, even then, somewhat disappointed as I had read some history of the Dhaka Zoo and my expectations were high. Nonetheless, 4 zoo personnel from Bangladesh were able to attend the meeting that approved the start of SAZARC, the South Asian Zoo Association for Regional Cooperation. They were Serazul Islam, Dhaka Zoo, Shitol Kumar Nath, Chittagong Zoo, Dr Mohammed Shahidullah, Dhaka Zoo, Narayan C. Roy, Rangpur Zoo. Since then the Bangladeshi zoo personnel have been some of the friendliest and most hospitable people I’ve met in South Asia. They were always interested in the training we provided at the Annual Conferences as well as various workshops and training which we organised with Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh in Bangladesh. I visited Bangladesh every year at least once and often more as we conducted more and more events.

The Bangladeshi’s were the first to pick up on my suggestion of zoo legislation that I promoted to all of the countries. The 3rd Annual Conference of SAZARC was conducted at Dhaka Zoo itself and the staff attending formed a special Bangladesh working group and laid out the first cut of principles of zoo legislation for Bangladesh. It was the first attempt for Bangladesh and it was impressive because the zoo personnel themselves were interested in regulating themselves. I was impressed and pleased as I had been involved in the promotion of Indian zoo legislation (passed in 1991 and 1992) for many years.

How I became involved in zoo legislation was that after 20 years of living in India and about 12 years of working with Indian zoos, I was convinced that little in these zoos could be achieved without the discipline that legislation imposes.

This turned out to be very true of India which has turned around their zoos dramatically, so one of my primary motivations for starting a regional zoo association was to have a platform for lobbying zoo legislation.

The Bangladeshi zoo personnel were also some of the most passionate about their zoos. They faced difficulties such as very short tenure at the zoo ... from six months to maybe 2.5 years. During that time, a person could pick up some zoo management skills if he had a genuine mentor. That was a problem as there were and even now are no experts on zoo management in the whole country. This situation makes for very poor work not just for the employees but even more so for the animals and other programmes zoos need to have. Dhaka Zoo has been run by the Livestock

and Animal Husbandry Department since its inception.

Running a zoo is very dissimilar from running a chicken farm or a dairy. The management of captive wild and domestic animals are two completely different disciplines with only the most basic similarities. Although senior staff had been through veterinary training which lists special courses devoted to zoo and wildlife management, they did not run the zoo systematically and seemed not to have the facilities, funds, or knowledge to do so. There were many things wrong from the start and instead of improving like many zoos will from year to year, Dhaka Zoo seemed to be deteriorating, and in fact it is deteriorating today, despite the dramatic about-face taken by F&AH Ministry recently.

The condition of the Dhaka Zoo seems not to have been an issue in the Animal Husbandry department except very occasionally, when something so terrible happened that it could not be ignored. Many bad things had happened which are reported in an article by Sarah Pappin who researched the last decade of Dhaka Zoo very assiduously referring many magazines and newspapers. Readers can see this article reprinted in this issue. Whatever your ideas about the press and its reliability, you can take this article seriously: I was in touch with Dhaka Zoo during much of the time described and believe the article is right.

Whenever I visited, very few Ministry officials seemed to know that the zoo was in terrible condition. The Animal Husbandry officers who have been deputed to the zoo as Curator, Vet, etc. worked as if they have not been given any zoo training. They do not realise what all needed to be done in a zoo because they have never worked in a fully functioning institution. Despite the presence of a respectable Curriculum in the AH Department which lists elements needed to treat wild animals, etc. apparently, teachers of this subject are without experience or skills and can’t pass on anything but didactic lectures to their students.

Moreover, the Ministry officials, both political and administrative, seem to have had a blind spot where the zoo is concerned. Funds for day-to-day management of the zoo are very short, dangerously so as the basics for animals are “extreme basic” without any amenities. Whenever I visited I would meet the new D.G., and Secretary and often the Minister to discuss the problems I saw in the zoo but with little or no result. It was clear the zoo was not a favored project as its superior officials in the Department and Ministry could not see that it was dying along with the animals.

There is money in the Ministry. When an event comes up, there is money to rent a lavish auditorium or take the whole department out to dinner with a foreign guest; however there are no funds for zoo personnel to go for training even to nearby foreign countries even in South Asia where training would be most appropriate. In the many times I have discussed this with Secretary, or D.G. and occasionally Minister, they agreed training was important but would not pay for it. They always asked me to pay.

Even last month a very senior bureaucrat asked me to help

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them with funds for the new zoo by interceding with WAZA and the western zoos.

function. This is first on my list of the many ironies that accompany the behaviour of senior government officials.

A paucity of funds in government departments is possible, of course, but the problem in this instant is not lack of funds ... it is lack of initiative to spend money on the zoo and its personnel. Perhaps they think it is not worthwhile since officers are transferred so much. If so, this is a real “Catch 22” or conundrum. They won’t give funds for training because officers are frequently transferred and they won’t modernize the transfer system so training will be useful for years to come.

To be sure a renovated and rebuilt zoo is potentially a great idea, yet, I worry. If there was no expertise in the country for zoo design and zoo management, etc. before, how is it that all of a sudden a big chunk of the government people are now experts, leading to the 2nd issue in my shot:

Not all Ministry officials have a blind spot regarding the Dhaka zoo and I salute those who have come out of their seats, ranting and raving about its condition, when I announced my purpose there. Yet, somehow, even they have been unable to act and bring about permanent change for the better.

Regarding the Zoo Act, a committee had been formed and there were several meetings, including a review meeting at SAZARC where all the countries formed national groups to discuss zoo legislation. Bangladesh had a document and we had invited Dr. Kris Vehrs, herself a zoo lawyer to work with them and point out necessary corrections to the document.

Soon after this conference I visited Dhaka and met a Secretary to Government who was very enthusiastic about improving the zoo, but he had not been appraised of the pending Bangladesh Zoo Act which was languishing in the Ministry. When I told him about it, he called for the file but was transferred soon after.

Both Nepal and Bangladesh immediately took this project seriously and in both cases zoo legislation is in the last stages before either being passed into law, or trashed. But on that day, in Bangladesh, it became clear that ministry elves or ministry mice might have deliberately kept it from the Secretary for reasons of their own or that of other superiors.

Now, finally cutting to the chase, it seems government has realised just how bad the Dhaka Zoo has become and is prepared to release funds for improving it. This is laudable but I have problems with the way they are going about it.

I, an American, probably have no right to judge but having invested 35 years in the regions zoos, I am taking my shot : 1. One of the first activities of “improvement” has been to take sometimes very large groups of mostly senior officials to foreign countries to see zoos, such as England (that was for another project which thankfully died), Australia, Canada, South Africa, Malaysia, etc. It is hard for me to understand how most of these officials are relevant to creating a better zoo. Many of them will be transferred, just like the zoo Curators and Veterinarians, in a short time and others’ interest is scant at best. In context with this massive travel bill, it is also hard to understand how the zoo could have been in decline so long without government thinking of sending Dhaka Zoo personnel for training. If selected Dhaka Zoo personnel could be given a mandate to stay at the zoo for some goodly number of years, then such trips might be useful in their understanding of how good zoos

2. The Ministry of Architecture has students already working on the design, but a zoo is not a business complex or a housing development. Zoo Design ... the first steps toward making a new zoo... is an art and a science. There is no one in the entire region of South Asia that is a truly creative and professional zoo designer. Why do Indian zoos engage zoo designers from other countries? They are better than anyone in country at present, is why, and they are much more clued in to 21st Century zoo directions.

Although the Dhaka Zoo initiative is laudable at a basic level, there is every possibility it will not live up to the dream. The powers that are guiding this initiative have forgotten some basic home truths in dealing with a complex project such as a zoological garden, e.g., 3. The prestigious Zoo Advisory Committee which was recently appointed by the AH Ministry and consists of 7 Secretaries, 7 Parliamentarians, and 26 others - Ministers, D.G.’s, other ranking individuals and government reps, NGO’s, etc. To make this point, I propose a question : how many (good) things can a committee of 40 important people do? Answer : ZERO! I polled a few people on this topic of a 40 person Advisory Committee and all but one said (essentially) “how are 40 people going to agree on anything”. When I think of our dozen on the National Zoo Advisory Board of India and how crazy that got, the “40” for this project Under “good” things I mean good things for the animals in the zoo and for the visitors who come to see the animals and for the health and well being of both animals and humans. I don’t mean things like trips to Europe, Australia, South Africa, South East Asia, etc. I think many of our zoo personnel could substantially improve a zoo if given even a portion for working fund of what those trips and Advisory Committee cost.

4. The powers that be which are guiding this project in government are of the same ilk of those who refused or neglected to arrange extensive training for all of the zoo personnel at every level on annual or semi-annual basis. If the zoo staff has never worked in a zoo before, which is the situation we are dealing with here, then they need to be trained extensively in the area which will be their specialty and but also generally in the subject of overall zoo management, including animal husbandry and veterinary management, animal welfare, visitor relationship to the animals, visitor education, ethics, such as management of finance in the zoo and procuring animals at great cost both to the government and to the individual animals themselves, etc. There is a lot to learn. The Dhaka Zoo has made some good attempts but they have never come up to a decent standard in any of these management requirements or if they did, they could not sustain it.

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5. Now, plans are going ahead for masterplan, design, etc.etc. but to do so the before there is a staff of trained and experienced people within the zoo who can monitor the plans and insure that good zoo management accompany the plans all the way, is not wise. It condemns the project to the same problems it has suffered for so many years. A facelift that makes the external zoo look better is not what is required here : What is required is a quantum leap from dysfunctional 19th century zoo management to dynamic 21st century zoo management at all levels of the infrastructure.

6. One of the reasons the plight of the zoo has come to this is the basic fact is that Animal Husbandry or Agricultural Departments cannot be guaranteed to do a good job on a zoo. Perhaps some have achieved success but many have made a colossal mess. The thinking is that the AH or AG departments know about “animals” (e.g. domestic animals looked after by human beings), therefore they automatically know about wild animals in captivity. The worst managed zoo in India, for example, was the Nagpur (or Maharaj Baug) Zoo which was founded and administered in 1894 by the veterinary department at the agricultural university. It was here while on an inspection duty for the Indian Central Zoo Authority that I saw a Mugger crocodile floating in its own excrement in a fenced circular pond which was not as wide as the length of the Mugger. That was only one instance of serial cruelty which played out daily at this zoo.

The zoo managers and senior people at the college were shocked at my response to such things ... they had not noticed that they were perpetrating the worst animal cruelties in their zoo. The anomaly of such situations is that it is simply presumed that a batch of farm and dairy veterinarians know how to keep wild animals. This is fantasy ... they (with the very occasional exception) do not know unless they have undergone extensive training in wild animal medicine or have learned from expert zoo managers running good zoos, or have a remarkable intuition and “touch” for zoo management personally. Ironically, in Bangladesh, there are veterinary colleges which offer somewhat extensive courses in zoo and wild animal medicine and also intern training at the Dhaka Zoo. This is not to say that only veterinary and agricultural institutions make mess of a zoo ... the forest department, wildlife wings, city or municipal corporations, government ministries, etc. all have made a mess of a zoo. Dhaka is not the only example but should learn from its own past experience as well as that of others.

Seven. Acquisition of animals for exhibition. In the next article, mentioned earlier there is a review of wild animals ordered every year or other year by Dhaka Zoo. Year after year I would ask the zoo personnel why they kept ordering these exotic animals which they have not been able to keep in good health or even alive for the past few years. Always the same answer ... this time it will be different... Of course, it is not the zoo personnel who are so keen to get these animals. It is the Ministry people who want to insure that the public has new treats for their eyes and targets for their frustrations in life. A big order of animals apparently is thought to be helpful at election time also. One perhaps doesn’t know who exactly is the primary culprit who insists on another ark of animals but it is clear that the officials on down the line of bureaucrats to zoo staff must go along.

Dhaka Zoo has not improved even a small bit since the last load of animals were delivered to their zoo a couple years ago. I remember when they started dying one by one ... it was in the press and I also got informative emails. I was also informed by zoo personnel that the animal dealer who organized and delivered the consignment was shocked when he saw the conditions of the zoos and stated that they really needed to change many things to keep the animals alive. I corresponded with the same gentleman who described to me how he and his colleagues drew up diet sheets for the exotic animals for the Dhaka staff to follow as of course they didn’t know how to take care of African animals. There were certain things they were told about diet ...”if you don’t procure certain food, the animals will start dying off”, they said. The zoo didn’t bother to procure these items and the animals died off. This should have been a lesson for those in higher echelons of government as well as the zoo staff itself. With their administrative, economic and professional constraints, they can’t manage African animals. All this is nothing but a big group of important people expressing a group ego. The zoo staff is the victim, not the villain. When the animals die this time, staff will be transferred or punished in some other way.

In the meeting of this 40 member Advisory Board, my friend and colleague, Dr. Anwarul Islam brought a paper discussing some of these and other aspects and was permitted to read it to the Board. We have, with his permission published it in this issue. It is after Sarah’s paper.

Also I felt constrained to do a casual inspection of the zoo in the light of the most recent animal shipments both delivered and pending. A summary and a toned down version of my Report with some photographs is included after Dr. Islam’s paper.

The Government of Bangladesh needs to examine their own motives and behaviour in respect of the zoo. The path chosen is not a rocky road for them, only for the zoo staff and the animals, as well as the bystanders who care about the animals and those who must look after them in such unfortunate and impossible conditions.

Sally Walker, 07/05/2012 Founder/Director, Zoo Outreach Organisation Founder/Director, South Asia Zoo Association for Regional Cooperation

Author (the one with her mouth open) leads a Training session at Dhaka Zoo (circa 2003) with other zoos of Bangladesh also represented.

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South Africa: Rhinos and Lions ... Hippos and Zebras ... Giraffes and Kudus ... Hyenas striped and spotted ...Oh My !

Sarah Pappin* Rhinos, lions, and other imperiled wildlife are being exported from South Africa to a Bangladeshi zoo with a dark and suspicious history. After purchasing at least 19 wild animals from a “safari park” in South Africa, governmentrun Dhaka Zoo apparently received its first shipment last week – pairs of white rhinos, white lions, striped hyenas, and a spotted hyena. The New Age reports the new captives are among some 270 animals (many of them threatened or endangered) that the zoo recently bought from other countries to add to their collection.

However, Dhaka Zoo’s past is riddled with corruption, scandals, and an alarming number of concerning and even suspicious deaths – including those of many wild animals imported from South Africa. As the circumstances at the facility have even been described as “an insult to the concept of a modern zoo”, one wonders why anyone would consider selling an animal to the establishment. It is unclear from whom they purchased the rhinos and other animals, but the zoo appears to have bought wild animals from the private sector of South Africa’s game industry in the past.

One Indian rhino dead, another dying Dhaka Zoo received a pair of six month-old Indian rhinos (also called Greater one-horned rhinos) as a gift from the King of Nepal in 1992. The male of the duo died in 2004, reportedly from self-inflicted injuries sustained in a violent episode they say stemmed from an unsuccessful attempt to mate with the female.

In a scientific report published in Zoo Print Magazine two years later, researchers suggested that the bull’s injuries had not been properly cared for. Larger zoo animals are really difficult to manage for treatment (Acharjyo 1999) and even more difficult with inadequate facilities. The researchers also explained that the rhinos’ enclosure was not suitable for the animals to be kept in. The clay soil is not comfortable and there is no gradual sloping which is a very major problem for this species. There is no jungle or enough area to maintain privacy from visitors over the day.

Indian rhinos are known to live for 35-40 years and even the Dhaka Zoo website says this species lives for as long as 47 years in captivity, meaning the female currently in their possession would be far from “old” at her current age of 20 years. But that didn’t stop the zoo’s curator from claiming, in a 2009 article from The Daily Star Star, that the rhino was expected to die soon from “old age complications” and (along with several other animals) was already in “critical condition”. It was later confirmed that she was suffering from pyometra, an extremely painful uterine infection that requires surgery — one that the zoo was apparently unable or unwilling to provide. Amazingly, photos taken a month ago prove the pachyderm was still alive — although she appeared quite thin and her overall condition seemed concerning. (A disturbing photo can be seen here.)

South African giraffe scandal In June 2008, Dhaka Zoo imported five giraffes (and 22 other wild animals) from South Africa – and a scandal was born. Instantly the star attraction, The Daily Star reported that the zoo had not had any giraffes since 1998.

In July 2009, the zoo apparently told the publication that the giraffes all had Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) – a potentially fatal virus that affects even-toed ungulates, which the curator claimed had probably spread from a

“slum” area that borders the zoo. He added that other animals in their establishment were also infected. Two months later, three of the giraffes died within a month.

September 7, 2009: The Daily Star reported that a giraffe less than three years old had died of dehydration, after refusing food and water for a week.

September 30, 2009: The zoo told BdNews24.com that a three year old giraffe died suddenly, despite being in “good condition” up until that point. A **graphic** and disturbing photo (seen here) of the dead animal seems quite unnatural and certainly seems to warrant an explanation.

October 4, 2009: A three and a half year old giraffe died after falling ill a few days before, according to BdNews24.com.

After the third death, the zoo curator admitted that, not only is the climate in Bangladesh unsuitable for giraffes, but that the zoo also lacked adequate facilities and equipment to care for them. Mounting controversy over the 2008 purchase of the giraffes in South Africa and their subsequent deaths prompted the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries to investigate the issues in 2010. BdNews24.com said evidence of corruption and misappropriations of funds in the transaction were discovered. The probe body also found evidence of corruption and misappropriation of funds in the purchase of the five giraffes, as officials falsely represented the animals as younger and more costly, which incurred a loss of nearly Tk 5 crore [around US $611,277] for Dhaka Zoo. The investigation committee claimed that despite being specifically instructed to purchase five giraffes between the ages of 18 and 24 months, their procurers had instead bought five aged five and a half to six years old and failed to submit the required documentation on the animals’ ages and health statuses. This, the Ministry said, was the reason the three giraffes had died – from “old age complications”.

However, giraffes live an average of 25 years and even the Dhaka Zoo website says they live up 26-30 years of age in captivity, which means none of the animals they bought in South Africa could have truly been considered “old”.

In July 2010, BdNews24.com reported that a fourth giraffe was sick, and yet the zoo has already purchased more giraffes in South Africa and plans to fly them in soon.

(It’s worth nothing that this is not the only case of corruption allegations and financial discrepancies.

BdNews24.com reported on a scandal involving funding allotted for the purchase of food for the animals in 2010.)

Animals from South Africa dead within one year of arrival Dhaka Zoo imported 27 animals (including the five giraffes) from South Africa in June 2008, according to The Daily Star Star.

The publication later reported that twelve of the animals (44% of all imported) from South Africa died within a year.

In addition to the three giraffes, there were also: Two kudu – one of which died in quarantine within 15 days * Pappin, S. "South Africa: Rhinos and Lions Sold to 'Hell Hole' Zoo in Bangladesh." Rhino Horn Is Not Medicine. Ed. R. CotaLarson. Annamiticus Media, 29 Apr 2012. Web. 30 June 2012. <http://www.rhinoconservation.org/2012/04/29/southafrica-rhinos-and-lions-sold-to-hell-hole-zoo-in-bangladesh/ >.

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of its arrival at the zoo and the South African supplier of the animal, “Hoor and Company”, was forced to repay the amount it was purchased for.

Two kangaroo, two oryx, and an impala that all died within three months of landing at their new home. A wildebeest died less than a year later.

A mountain zebra that died (fourth months after arriving) from a gangrenous leg injury it apparently sustained while being transported from South Africa. The zoo curator explained to The Daily Star that infection was a leading cause for many of the untimely deaths.

“Although timid in nature they reacted violently in their cages in the beginning and sustained injuries. Most of these animals died of infection in their hind legs while a few of them developed a type of infection in the horn,” he added.

Somehow, an investigation into the wave of deaths did not find any negligence.

Keepers killed tigers to sell skins In 1996, four tigers died over a three-day period at Dhaka Zoo and it was later determined that the felines had been intentionally poisoned to death by their keepers. The Daily Star reported that the keepers had planned to procure the animals’ valuable skins, probably for sale on the black market. Of 14 zoo staff arrested for the crime, Dawn said nine were acquitted nine years later and five were fined and sentenced to fourteen years in prison. Highly sought after body parts of deceased captive animals – especially tigers and lions – have been known to enter the trade from the back doors of unscrupulous zoos, safari parks, and tiger farms throughout Asia.

A plethora of big cat deaths Numerous tigers and lions have died at Dhaka Zoo under alarming and sometimes suspicious circumstances over the years. Apparently, all of the lions and tigers at the zoo are hybrids of multiple different subspecies – a fact that seems to have been withheld from the media.

In 1999, BBC News reported that four tigers had died from trypanosomiasis (a disease caused by blood parasites) over a four week period, while a fourth remained quite ill.

At least four tigers and one lion died over the next five years: 2000: A tiger died of “acute renal failure and shock”.

2001: News.ch reported that the zoo chief had been fired after it was determined that a lion’s death had been caused by being fed excessive amounts of fat in its diet. (The same year, the zoo announced plans to begin breeding tiger-lion hybrids. A disturbing and **graphic** photo, seen here, shows the horrifying condition of one of the zoo’s lions at the time).

2003: A tiger died from a “severe cold” and another from an “inbreeding effect”.

2004: While it reported in Zoo Print Magazine that a 16 year old tiger had died from “shock (senility)”, the zoo appears to have told The Daily Star that it died of liver cirrhosis.

Another two tigers died in 2009 (one is said to have died from “old age complications”), as did a lion that apparently hemorrhaged to death after suffering from paralysis for at least a year.

Inbreeding in tigers and lions Over the next few years, Dhaka Zoo’s tiger and lion populations multiplied to overwhelming levels – and so did inbreeding amongst the animals. In fact, the business considered castrating the male felines to control the problem in 2005, but later opted for non-permanent measures in case they decided to breed the animals again.

In 2004, a report in Zoo Print Magazine explained that Dhaka Zoo only had the resources to sustain a maximum of

eight lions and nine tigers. However, the zoo has consistently had far more than that for over a decade.

Despite sending seven tigers and two lions to other zoos in 2004, AFP reported in 2005 that 36 tigers and lions were crammed into enclosures that were meant to hold no more than 16 of the felines. Today, it purportedly holds 10 tigers (down from 18 in 1999) and thirteen lions (down from 22 in 2007) — including the two new white lions from South Africa. BdNews24.com reported that the inbreeding had caused physical abnormalities in the big cats and other animals at the zoo – including a crippled lion and a tiger with painful spine curvature.

Researchers reported other oberservations resultant from inbreeding in a 2006 Zoo Print Magazine article.

Due to inbreeding effects, weak Kittens with various nervous syndromes, developmental anomalies occur and many unnatural behaviours are observed.

A 2007 study in the Bangladesh Journal of Microbiology suggests that the inbreeding problem could’ve been prevented fairly easily. Here in the Dhaka Zoo, the inbreeding effect is a serious problem by not having any breeding policy or road map.

Unusually high numbers of reckless deaths Dhaka Zoo has a long and dark history when it comes to deaths stemming from unsanitary conditions, negligence, and a general lack of proper equipment and expertise.

BBC News reported that over 250 animals had died at the zoo over a six month period in 1999.

The 2007 study in the Bangladesh Journal of Microbiology said that a total of 144 had died between February 2002 and September 2006. News Today reported last year that 80 animals died at the zoo in 2009 and 50 in 2010. There was little media coverage of negative events and accounts of death at the zoo in 2011.

Infectious disease disaster waiting to happen?

The Dhaka Zoo curator recently told The New Age that their policy requires imported animals to remain in quarantine for a period of 21 days. A 2006 report in Zoo Print Magazine explains that the zoo’s quarantine block is situated in very close proximity to a commercial poultry farm that abuts the zoo. Obviously, this raises grave concerns over the risk of diseases spreading from the farm animals to zoo animals and even potentially to the three million human visitors that patronize the zoo each year on average.

In fact, in 2008, an avian influenza (bird flu) outbreak at the neighboring poultry farm resulted in the culling of 19,000 chickens. A Daily Star article reported that a rhea died suddenly a few days later and showed signs of bird flu.

(IRIN News also reported that both an emu and a rhea had died.) The zoo claimed the exotic bird had died of enteritis (a cold-like disease), but felt it necessary to put the zoo on high alert for bird flu – which included spraying disinfectants throughout the zoo grounds and disinfecting all bird cages twice per day. It appears the zoo lacked a formal plan of action for dealing with urgent cases of infectious diseases at the zoo (e.g. avian influenza, tuberculosis, FMD, etc.) prior to their actual occurrences.

Tuberculosis outbreak Failure to develop a long-recommended pathology lab (to diagnose diseases and assess the health of the animals) at the zoo likely contributed to another ticking time bomb situation. After tuberculosis killed a lion in 2005, BdNews24.com revealed an extremely concerning situation unfolding at the zoo. Sources said though the authorities

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fear that the disease has affected almost 90 percent animals at the zoo, many of those are yet to go through blood test.

The article also claimed even staff had been infected.

A 2007 study published in the Bangladesh Journal of Microbiology reported that tuberculosis was responsible for 35 (24%) of the 144 deaths that occurred at Dhaka Zoo between February 2002 and September 2006. (It’s worth nothing that the report also found that an additional 30 of the deaths could only have been caused by “physical/ traumatic injurious death by any objects or by predators”.)

Indeed, the study found that tuberculosis and Coccidioides immitis (a fungus native to the western hemisphere) were the “most common causes of death” of animals at the Dhaka Zoo. Alarmingly, a 2005 Zoo Print Magazine article explained that an adult lion and five cubs were living in the quarantine block during this time because there were not enough cages to house them in.

Zoo’s inabilities threaten animals’ health and welfare The aforementioned 2007 report suggested that the spread of infectious diseases at the zoo was being encouraged by zoo’s inabilities, with the researchers noting: •The lack of a proper veterinary unit and adequate laboratory facilities.

•Methods used to clean enclosures were not scientific and feeding areas were not hygienic.

•Water houses were outdated, poorly constructed, not cleaned regularly, and promoted algal growth – a recipe for “repeated contamination”.

All of these things have been referenced as being serious concerns for the zoo multiple times over the years.

Earlier this year, Professor Anwarul Islam (CEO of the Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh) was quoted by TheIndependentBd.com in discussing the abysmal conditions in which the animals live at Dhaka Zoo. “The problem with such animals is that the zoo authorities do not know what to do with them. Obviously, hostile conditions and poor supply of food make it almost impossible for the animals to survive. The animals are brought from abroad at a huge cost, only to be pushed to death through utter neglect. The overall situation prevailing here is an insult to the concept of a modern zoo”, Prof Islam said. He also said that the establishment did not have any zoologists on staff.

According to BdNews24.com, the zoo only had one veterinarian on staff in 2009, but had requested funding to bring on two more. Despite multiple members of the zoo staff being suspended, fired, and replaced numerous times over the years, the zoo’s conditions appear to remain the same. ”Overburdened” with animals In 2009, when the zoo apparently had 2,160 animals, an official told The Daily Star that they were “overburdened” with animals and were in need of more space. “Right now we are overburdened with some animals as we have 17 pythons, 17 lions, 14 tigers and nine hippopotamus and many deer. We need lots of space if we want to ensure proper management of these animals,” he said. The New Age claims the establishment has some 1,974 creatures today, but plans to add 270 more to its collection within the next three to four months.

Ulla claiming that all the staff of the zoo work hard all day long.

Last year, a zoo spokesperson admitted to the zoo’s ongoing inadequacy for accommodating its animals in a Priyo News article. ‘The current environment at the zoo is unfriendly for the animals because of sound pollution, visitor’s aggressive behaviour to the animals and also the improper health care management,’ he added.

At a total of 2,244 animals (if all of the 270 new ones survive), the zoo will continue to exceed its apparent threshold, as it appears that housing has not yet been expanded nor improved – another thing experts have urgently recommended multiple times over the years. ’New’ zoo modernization project not new The zoo reports the new animals being procured for their collection currently are part of a new ‘zoo modernization project’ – a plan that was first proposed eight years ago, according to The Daily Star. The details haven’t changed much since 2004 and include updating caging systems, importing more animals, constructing a railroad for a train to circle the perimeter of the park, erecting jumbotron screens at entrances for guests to watch what is happening inside the facility, and introducing boat rides to allow visitors to view caged animals from the zoo lake.

Although experts have long recommended that the zoo immediately improve the living conditions for their captive animals, establish a desperately needed pathology lab, and drastically improve veterinary care, it seems the zoo’s main priority is to first replace their diminished collection — apparently starting with the wildlife they recently purchased from South Africa.

Additional sources: Ahasan, S.A. and A.Z. Rahman, “Mortality in Dhaka Zoo due to Microbial Agents,” Bangladesh Journal of Microbiology 24(2007): 154-156.

“Dhaka Zoo Activities,” Zoo Print Magazine XIX (2004): 5-6.

Ferdous Ara, “Dhaka Zoo to have 270 new animals,” The New Age, April 20, 2012, Accessed April 23, 2012.

Malakar, B., Hasan, M. K., et al., “The Zoo as Ecotourism Attraction- Visitor Reactions and Perceptions: The Case of Dhaka Zoo, Bangladesh”, Dhaka University Journal of Business Studies 28(December 2007).

Pinaki Roy, “Lion dies in Dhaka Zoo,” The Daily Star, September 11, 2009, accessed April 26, 2012.

Rahman, Z.A. and S.A. Ahasan, “Status of Bengal Tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) in Dhaka Zoo,” Zoo Print Magazine XXI (2006): 13-14.

Raihan Sabuktagin, “Dhaka Zoo: Fund constraint stalls breeding program,” The Daily Star, December 27, 2006, accessed April 26, 2012.

S.A. Ahasan, “Bangladesh: Seminar and Animal Donation Ceremony Held in Dhaka Zoo,” Zoo Print Magazine XIX(2004): 8.

“South Asian Zoo News,” Zoo Print Magazine XX(2009): 22.

“Zoo News from South Asia,” Zoo Print Magazine XXII(2007): 21-22.

Source: http://www.rhinoconservation.org (http://s.tt/ 1at0N)

In 2010, the zoo told The Daily Star that they had submitted a proposal to purchase more animals, despite admittedly being unable to care for the animals. “We need more space to take good care of the animals. We are doing our best within this limited space and budget,” said Shahid

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Dhaka Zoo Improvement Initiative -- a Bangladeshi Professor’s outlook during the first Dhaka Zoo Advisory Committee

Recommendations for taking Dhaka Zoo to a world standard Proposed at the Dhaka Zoo Advisory Committee held on June 20, 2012 Distributed among members present including Minister and Secretary of Livestock Ministry Read out to the gathering with permission of the Minister, Chair of the Board) Dr Md. Anwarul Islam, Professor, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka and Chief Executive, Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh Email: anwar1955@gmail.com 1. A first step should be to develop a vision statement for Dhaka Zoo that reflects the government’s commitment to biodiversity conservation and that will guide the zoo’s development.

The present government in their historic election manifesto pledged that they would conserve the country’s biodiversity. A well run zoo has an important role to play in ex-situ (off-site) conservation, primarily through education of the nation and also through rational captive breeding programmes for declining species.

In addition, zoos also can play a vital role in in-situ (on-site) conservation by supporting various activities taking place within the natural wild habitat of species, e.g. by generating donations from visitors to in-situ conservation projects – e.g. approximately 12% of the total funding available for tiger conservation between 1998 and 2005, came from or through the world’s zoos (Christie, 2010). So the government has good reasons to improve the present condition of the Dhaka Zoo. As such, it is recommended that an activity be undertaken to sit and develop a vision and mission statement for the zoo, which can then guide the handling of this and all future such proposals.

2. Dhaka Zoo has to build its capacity Dhaka Zoo should meet the welfare standards required of a world class zoo. Dhaka Zoo also should provide conservation value to the nation. A national zoo is a key component of an overall biodiversity conservation plan. It is our national property and the zoo is there to provide a public service. The zoo in its present form omits the objective of in-situ or ex-situ conservation which is the sole purpose of a zoo.

The wild animals of the Dhaka Zoo has to go to good and expert hands capable of maintaining international animal welfare standards in keeping the animals. In addition, to the welfare of the animals, the management of a proper modern day zoo includes conservation specialists in every aspect of conservation, including providing an environment for animals that will permit them to retain some of their wild characters, and other important services including conservation education skills to ensure that all people in the country know the true value of wildlife, its diversity and environment to the nation.

3. Dhaka Zoo should be given autonomy in order to develop the specialization required to succeed as a world class zoo, on every level - husbandry, veterinary, education, etc.

Dhaka Zoo should have autonomy. It should not be kept under the Department of Livestock Services (DoLS) as the zoo deals with wildlife, not domesticated animals. Let it be a separate autonomous organisation headed by a director general or a director. Only then be possible to develop professional human resources, e.g. zoo curators, zoo veterinarians, zoo managers, zoo keepers for the zoo. Today the officers come from the DoLS and are transferred frequently, even before they fully understand their job as a zoo person. Also many times the zoo actually receives very little services from them before they are again transferred. In reality, so far, the country has failed to develop any expertise or genuine human resource in this field.

Bronx Zoo in New York is run by the Wildlife Conservation Society; London Zoo is run by the Zoological Society of London; Malaysian National Zoo is run by the Malaysian Zoological Society; even the national zoo of Nepal is also run by an NGO, the National Trust for Nature Conservation. Dhaka Zoo is run by the Department of Livestock Services. There is no zoologist, zoo scientist, wildlife specialist or zoo and wildlife educator in the zoo. Zoo employees do not even realise what the zoo requires from them, as they, with very few exceptions, do not get opportunity to go abroad and study how a good zoo works. This needs a serious attention.

4. Independent expert committees on different issues/subjects/aspects should be set up to ensure proper development process and the monitoring of the zoo.

The committees should suggest well-researched sound proposals guided by good science, which also has to address environmental aspects including social and biological. These have to be culturally acceptable and financially and technically/technologically viable and sustainable.

We should not take any decision on an ad hoc basis. So before we take any decision a more complete and detailed proposal/plan should be submitted to the authority first, which must be very carefully reviewed. To support this review process, committees of scientific experts and representatives from the wider conservation community can be formed. The committees should include international experts given the lack of expertise in modern zoo development and maintenance in Bangladesh.

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5. A good quality zoo with native species can attract as many, or more, visitors than a zoo with larger, and/or non-native species.

On September 17, 2010, I made a personal visit to the Kyoto Zoo, Japan, which is a cute little garden zoo with a children’s park in it. I saw hundreds of children come and visit the zoo along with their parents. The animals are so well presented that the park has become the secondary attraction to the children. The primary and main attraction is the zoo. It is a common misconception that in order to increase visitor numbers, a zoo needs larger and more exotic species. This is not the case ... we do not need large animals but instead we need welldesigned zoo exhibits, housing native Bangladeshi species, with strong educative components to ensure our children are educated in their own natural heritage.

6. We do not have skills to maintain the existing animals to proper standards, even the native species, so we should simplify the collection to ensure welfare of the animals and find training opportunities to build our skills.

We have practically no wildlife veterinary skills in Bangladesh, and very limited wildlife management skills. In making plans for an improved zoo, we should reduce the complexity of our existing collection, and focus on the development of enclosures which meet international welfare standards, and provide true educative value to visitors. For example, instead of housing many large or non-native species which require larger enclosures, specialist health requirements, and massive amounts of money to purchase them, we can learn to manage native species, including monkeys, birds, reptiles, and culminating in flagship species including the Hoolock Gibbon and, our national animal, the Bengal Tiger. We should not attempt to house species with complex needs requiring impossibly larger enclosure sizes and specialist attention such as the Asian Elephant. Many international zoos have already stopped keeping elephants, not only due to the recognition that they require large areas of land, but also since there is no realistic prospect of establishing captive-breeding populations (Rees, 2003).

7. This is an opportunity to become an outstanding zoo and attract regional visitors.

We do not have a good zoo in the region. So if this one could be made a world class zoo it would not only attract local visitors but also the visitors from the region.

Literature cited: Christie, S. (2010). Why keep tigers in zoos? Chapter 15 in Tigers of the World, Second Edition. Elsevier Inc Press and Rees, P.A. 2003. Asian elephants in zoos face global extinction: should zoos accept the inevitable? Oryx Vol 37. No 1.

Profile of Dr. Md. Anwar Islam Dr Md. Anwarul Islam, professor, Department of Zoology, and director, Biotechnology Research Centre, University of Dhaka, studied primates for his master’s, and studied birds for his PhD from the University of Bombay under the supervision of Dr Salim Ali (1982-86), did pd research in Department of Anatomy, Cambridge (1992-93). He was the founder head (1988-1991) of the Dept. Zoology, and the director (1995-1998) of the Institute of Life Sciences, Jahangirnagar University.

He was an editor of the Red List of Threatened Animals of Bangladesh published by the IUCN Bangladesh in 2000 and assoc. ed. of the 10 vol. BANGLAPEDIA as well as Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh published by Asiatic Society of Bangladesh 4 book and 50 scientific publications.

He has got higher training in museology at Smithsonian Institution, and at the National Museum of Natural History, New Delhi when he initiated the Department of Natural History at the National Museum of Bangladesh. He is principal investigator of numerous species conservation initiatives -- tiger, hoolock gibbon, bear and elephant.

He is the Team leader of ‘Sundarbans Tiger Project’ – jointly with Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh, Bangladesh F.D., ZSL, USFWS and University of Minnesota. This project helped the government produce Bangladesh Tiger Action Plan and now implements this plan with Forest Dept.

Anwar is associated with a number of professional organizations including the Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh, Aranyak Foundation, Governments of USA and Bangladesh, Zoological Society of London. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Dhaka Zoo. His area of interest is Wildlife and Conservation Biology. Email: anwar1955@gmail.com.

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Dhaka Zoo ... now Bangladesh National Zoo ... a casual inspection Sally Walker Background My 10th visit to Dhaka Zoo was inspired by the news that Dhaka Zoo had ordered another large consignment of animals from South Africa. A couple of years ago the zoo had ordered such a consignment and I was informed that many of the animals died in a relatively short time. I flew over to Dhaka shortly after hearing this news and it was confirmed by management that that was the case. A few weeks later virtually all of them but one or two had died. It is hard to get information straight in such cases as the management running the zoo at that time, is long gone by now and the new management denied the previous deaths.

Various enclosures Crocodiles The Crocodilian enclosures are relatively new but the style dates way back: concrete, chain mesh, very little water, etc. One is acceptable with a large tank and an area for sunning with grass and sand. The Crocodiles and Gharials are said to be breeding, according to the Curator. One of the enclosures has protective sides two feet in the ground but the crocs dig large holes and two feet may not be sufficient to keep them from tunneling out. A great deal of improvement is required for these aquatic reptiles...in husbandry, in enclosure design, in animal welfare and in education.

As Director of the South Asian Zoo Association for Regional Cooperation SAZARC, I was asked if Dhaka Zoo was a member of WAZA or of SAZARC. A pair of African white rhino calves had been purchased by the zoo but had to be a member of WAZA or a regional association in order to get a permit. I did not claim Dhaka Zoo as a member in good standing but they told that they were members and got the animals anyway. Dhaka Zoo should never have been permitted to get those animals without having gone through extensive training and study of their needs at all levels, and also without serious changes in the zoo infrastructure, none of which they had done.

The tiger observed outside was pacing around the entire moat and back up to its cage repeatedly, indicating stereotypy. I pointed this out but Curator said the tiger was running.

None of the cats looked fit.

I had not seen the zoo in over a year and a half so I again visited Dhaka Zoo to see if any improvements had been made either in infrastructure or staff knowledge. The zoo curator extended an invitation as they have done in the past and requested “suggestions” of what they should do in the zoo, which usually are ignored.

I carried out a spot inspection of the zoo, to ascertain if any significant improvements had been made since my last visit.

Inspection of Dhaka Zoo On 18 & 19 June I spent some hours at Dhaka Zoo inspecting the veterinary hospital and the grounds, cages, etc.

First day Curator/Director accompanied me. In Bangladesh the post of Curator is actually what other zoos call Zoo Manager or Director. It is the highest post in the zoo. On 19th I went around accompanied by a young veterinary doctor saw the zoo again and got a different perspective in some aspects from the vet.

There is no enrichment inside anywhere. The animals don’t get much time outside where they have to go one at a time. The one lion observed as close quarters was without spirit and in indifferent condition.

Unsuitable crocodilian enclosures

Lions and Tigers These felids are housed in separate but similarly constructed enclosures with a large outdoor area surrounded by a moat, chain mesh and large empty concrete indoor enclosures. Only one animal can go out at a time as zoo heads are afraid they may fight. The indoor enclosures are open at the back where public can view and tease them and a middle room that provides privacy.

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Hoolock Gibbon Hoolock Gibbon is a Critically Endangered species in Bangladesh with small populations scattered in different places numbering under 100 individuals. These hoolocks are in a double iron & chain mesh cage with little to remind them of their former forest home. Out of the three that were brought to the zoo by animal trappers some years ago, at least one and maybe two have died. There are three animals there, one of them could be an offspring. It is possible they replaced an animal with another wild one. This took place some years ago and was a big issue between officials and this writer. They insisted at that time that they “rescued” the animals by taking them from the trappers, but other staff told me they ordered them. The animals currently looked to be in very poor condition. I asked to see their medical history but was told there was no history.

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White Rhinos There were two young rhinos from South Africa, recently procured. They are there less than one month and still in good condition. I was surprised as I thought they need a nod from WAZA or their Association. I asked Curator about this … how they came without permit and he said “they just sent them”. Now, there is evidence that Curator “just told them” that they were members in good standing of SAZARC.

Hippo There are 8 hippos, six having been born in the zoo according to Curator.

They have a nice environment relatively speaking, e.g., a very large tank with lake water coming in daily and a suction pump to remove dirty water. Curator hopes to exchange the hippos for animals from other zoos.

Leopards I was told there were two leopards, male and female. I could not find the female as we did not go to that part of the zoo. The male is in a four-sided cage with thick iron bars and open to viewing on all sides with no privacy at all, nothing to hide behind. A couple of dead trees have been propped up in a pathetic effort at enrichment. The male leopard spends most of his time lying in the middle of the cage, which is farthest point from public. At the risk of anthropomorphizing, I say this leopard is in despair which the photo below conveys. Zoo authorities are afraid to put the pair together because the animals might fight.

Leopard in total despair

Veterinary hospital The new facility is an upgrade of an old building with serious new machinery in three rooms, an x-ray room, operating theater, and “mini-lab”. There is no dedicated operator for this machinery it seems. Curator has informed that he would manage the machines.

Six hippos under water (above) and (below) two hungry hippos.

Indian rhino The female Indian rhino is very old, no doubt, but India rhinos can live to advanced age without looking shabby.

This rhino has been sick for a long time. Her ribs show as can be seen in the photo of in the water. Curator said she had endometriosis and pyometra(?) which they had tried to treat but could not cure.

Gayals There were some good outdoor natural enclosures and some relatively healthy-looking animals, such as Spotted deer, Gayals and Impalas.

There are 5 gayals and 2 impala in the same enclosure. There are trees providing some shade. I could not get a photo of the Gayals.

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Various admin & infrastructure issues

Staff Dhaka Zoo is about to lose 3-4 of their most experienced and important staff, e.g., two of their good veterinary officers there for five years and another person who has served as Assistant Curator who does most of the animal work. These people will be replaced by others who have no experience with zoos or wild animals.

As it is, in present circumstances, the senior person at the zoo, Dr. Shahidulla is completely engaged with arranging places for animals which are about to be delivered and trips abroad for his senior colleagues to see zoos. With new people coming in and in the

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absence of Curator and even more valuable the young vets etc. who are leaving, the future for the consignment of new animals does not look good.

Zoo Act The Ministry of Animal Husbandry, etc. has completed the writing of the Zoo Act and are in next few days sending it to Parliament. The first meeting of the 40 person advisory committee was held and agreed the document is ready to send. A neutral person or persons should check the document to insure that that changes have not been made in the Act that are meant to work to the advantage of the human beings involved instead of the zoo animals and zoo activities.

Smoking Smoking is banned at the zoo as per these cheery “Tobacco Free Zoo” placards.

Visits with Senior officials This writer meets officials in the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock which controls two zoos in Bangladesh, the Dhaka Zoo and the Rangpur Zoo every time I visit. I talk about the same things every time, e.g.

Trash There was a great deal of trash all over the zoo that looked like an accumulation in several places. One expects trash in the regions zoos as public is indifferent to signs etc. but this was too much. The photo below illustrates literally hundreds of such piles of litter throughout the zoo and in some areas there was a bad smell coming. I was told that they cleaned up every 10 days.

This is not dry trash but leftover food that attracts vermin and possibly other creatures dangerous to human health.

This kind of trash needs to be removed at the end of every day, if not throughout the day. My opinion on this did not go over well however.

• changing the frequent transfer system of senior zoo personnel, • Zoo legislation and regulation, e.g., the Zoo Act, • training for all levels of staff for months, not weeks with refresher training from time to time, • permitting staff to rise in the hierarchy rather than being transferred out • the need for a very senior and experienced zoo manager to work in the Dhaka Zoo for some years and demonstrate the things that must be done and how to do them in the long term, • deficiencies in the zoo now that could be fixed immediately such as the trash problem, need for enrichment in enclosures, construction of simple barriers so pairing of animals can be attempted, etc.

North Lake A big portion of a very large and beautiful lake abuts the zoo and is part of it. In this lake Curator reported the zoo was “conserving” fish both native and non-native species. The zoo permits fishing by fee and Curator related that there was a limit of 10 on the number of persons who could fish at the same time or same day.

“Bangladesh National Zoo” ... NOW !!

Dhaka Zoo may be officially designated as the National Zoo of Bangladesh but as a National Zoo, it needs to be a very correct model for other zoos in the nation. The current state of Dhaka Zoo does not deserve this designation. Sensible people attending a meeting of the Advisory Committee recommended waiting until the zoo was in better shape to name it the National Zoo, but they were over-ruled. The Curator has explained in one of his press moments that the zoo was always the National Zoo but people “popularised” it as the Dhaka Zoo.

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Nepal Zoo Network - Mini Zoos, Deer Parks, Breeding Centres to Communicate, Cooperate, and Collaborate for better Zoo Conservation Sally Walker and Sarita Jnawali

various aspects of zoo management. With all these entities working with the

First Nepal Zoo Networking Meeting, June 22, 2012. Head table : Mr Krishna Prasad Acharya, Director General, Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), Sally Walker, Founder/Director, ZOO and SAZARC, and Sarita Jnawali, Project Manager, NTNC-Central Zoo.

June 2012 the first meeting of the Nepal Zoo Network was conducted at the Central Zoo, in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was not the first time the zoos had met but was a first in the evolution of the country’s zoos and, for that matter, a quantum leap in the evolution of the region’s zoo association, SAZARC, South Asian Zoo Association for Regional Cooperation. The Founder/Director of SAZARC had been invited to witness this giant step of a small country’s zoos. The creation of a network is the first step towards the animal facilities of Nepal coming together in a sincere and serious effort to work together for the betterment of captive wildlife and of each separate institution. It may also be a first step towards a national zoo association, which is the way most established zoos in the world communicate, collaborate and cooperate. SAZARC Director recently made a decision to put energy into helping zoos create national organisations, either formal or informal, so that all the country’s zoos might work together.

For some time the Central Zoo was considered the only zoo in Nepal. Central Zoo was the venue of the first conference of the South Asian Zoo Association and where it was founded and named in the year 2000. In 2006 Zoo Outreach Organisation’s Education Officer, R. Marimuthu on behalf of SAZARC conducted a survey of animal facilities in Nepal and confirmed the existence of some captive animal facilities that could be considered zoos for purpose of cooperation. ZOO called attention to this by publishing a long article in ZOOS’ PRINT (February 2009). The government authorities and the National Trust for Nature Conservation and Central Zoo itself took rapid action and conducted their own survey and confirmed a wide range of facilities. Also they followed the example of India in formulating zoo legislation for better running of zoos; this is still pending with the government. In 2010 NTNC/Central Zoo hosted the 10th Annual SAZARC conference and invited all their own country’s zoos, mini zoos, deer parks, and wildlife breeding facilities so they could get a taste of belonging to a zoo community.

mini zoos and animal facilities they can build a platform where owners and staff of mini zoos come together and discuss various aspects of zoo management. With this background, a zoo networking meeting was organized by NTNC-Central Zoo on June 22, 2012 in the premises of Central Zoo. The Director General Mr. Krishna Prasad Acharya of Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) honoured the meeting with his presence and Mrs. Sarita Jnawali, Director of Central Zoo, facilitated and hosted along with her staff. Ms Sally Walker, Founder/Mg. Trustee of Zoo Outreach Organization (ZOO) and Founder/Director of SAZARC came from India as the special guest.

Zoo Personnel present were managers and directors of 4 mini zoos across the country: Srichandra Sharma from Sahid Smriti Park, Hetauda, Mukta Lal Giri from Mani Mukunda Sen Park, Butwal, Umapati Neupane from Shankarnagar Ban Bihar Tatha, Anusandhan Kendra Rupandehi and Tek Bahadur Tamang from Hariyali Ban, Dharan.

Additionally managers from conservation breeding centers and deer parks were present: Mr Gopal Pd Bhattrai form Godavari Deer Park; Mr. Narottom Baidhya from Pashupati Area Development Trust; and an official from local government, Hon. former Mayor of Lekhnath Municipality and the local development officer from Kaski district.

Objectives of the meeting were generally to know other zoos and their managers and learn about the workings of one another. They wanted to establish a method for networking, share issues and promote animal welfare, conservation, education and recreation as the primary goals.

The National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) - Central Zoo is the only official zoo of Nepal. However there are various mini zoos and animal facilities across Nepal established with community or local government participation.

The meeting commenced in traditionally way by lighting the lamp by the DG of DNPWC.

After making their own preliminary assessment of these mini zoos they brought attention of their status to government. Now the Central Zoo is often requested and advised to support these zoos on

Ms Sarita Jnawali, Project Manager of NTNC - Central Zoo gave a presentation on objectives of the meeting, the overall situation of mini zoos and animal facilities and opinion on future collaboration.

Ms Sally Walker highlighted the importance on zoo networking for better management and sharing of animals, knowledge and

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information in order to enable communication, cooperation and collaboration.

and how they can help. They learn this if your zoo is running an active education programme.

Later all participants shared their problems, opportunities and scope of their respective zoos. A comprehensive discussion was conducted particularly on finding some way of solving problems these zoos are facing. The zoo policy and legal status of mini zoos was also a matter of concern. Every participant felt the strong need for collaboration and networking. They agreed that meetings should be organised every year. In the end, the meeting concluded by formally agreeing on the below mentioned two points in addition to other potential collaboration:

Good zoo management or “best practice” method management is crucial to the health and lifespan of your animals, and even to your health and that of your workers. If your animals suffer and die you will want more animals and -- without the cooperation of other zoos -- you will be tempted to take them from the wild. If you take animals from the wild, you may be contributing to extinction of species rather than conservation.

D.G. opens the meeting in the traditional lighting the lamp while Sarita looks on

Your wildlife is your national wealth.

Wildlife keep ecosystems working and ecosystems keep us all alive and comfortable.

All the mini zoos that are present in the meeting have agreed to form a network of zoos in Nepal.

As legislation for rules, regulation and monitoring of zoos in Nepal is still pending in Parliament, the meeting decided to request DNPWC to formulate guidelines about certain aspects of zoo management.

Manager of Hetauda Zoo signs while Hariyali Zoo Manager looks on.

The meeting went on until evening including a zoo visit.

Remarks by Sally Walker, Founder Director of SAZARC, South Asian Zoo Association for Regional Cooperation Congratulations on this meeting. It is one of the first in South Asia to attempt to bring all their zoos together India has done so some years ago. This important event will become part of the history of South Asian zoos.

Why? What’s so important about zoos and why should they come together and cooperate with one another? Its important because all zoos need to cooperate with others in order to survive and do their job. You need to communicate with one another, sharing information about all aspects of zoo management; you will benefit by collaborating on projects and coordinating all your activities for the greater good of the country’s zoos. That is the purpose of SAZARC as well ... to bring the South Asian countries together, but that has no meaning if countries are not cooperating with one another.

SAZARC is now urging all countries to create a national association or network.

Every zoo is important in its own capacity. Your zoos are covering Nepal it seems from the map shown by Sarita Jnawali and thus are giving a very large number of Nepali’s an opportunity to know wild animals and their importance to our lives much better. More Nepali’s learn about conservation and welfare of threatened and near threatened species

Sarita Jnawali describes the current status of zoos and other animal facilities in Nepal.

Good zoo management is a lot of work but it has to be done. Even a small zoo must have the basic tools, infrastructure and staff to maintain clean, comfortable and safe enclosures, designed so that visitors can’t harass the animals.

Scientific diets and clean storage area for food is also crucial to animal health. Zoo Education is now a big part of good zoo management. Small zoos particularly could benefit by enlarging and highlighting their education programme as they may not have funds or capacity to manage a large number of animals.

Also if your zoo is the same all the time, visitors will not come back frequently.

You want frequent, multiple visits to make enough profit to live and maintain your animals properly. Education programmes, rather than new animals, are one answer to this. If you focus on conservation education, you can make something new for every day and people will want to return over and over.

Group photo after a successful meeting, followed by a Zoo Tour and then more discussion. Photo courtesy of Central Zoo.

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Kathmandu Zoo - NTNC / Central Zoo getting a makeover Sally Walker In 1932 Judha Sumser Janga Bahadur Rana, Prime Minister of Nepal, established the Katmandu Zoo using his personal collection of birds. Later the zoo was named the Central Zoo. In 1951, the zoo came under the administrative control of the Nepal government and was opened to the public in 1956. The zoo was constantly transferred to various government departments and had many short term directors, it did not fared well. December 29, 1996, the zoo was transferred to the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation, a private, non-profit environmental organization. The Trust made a commitment to develop the zoo as a center for conservation education and wildlife research. Short term changes, such as cleaning, painting, repairing, new labels, new staff positions and keeper training were carried out as well as for long term changes.

A Friends of the Zoo group was started and also an educational program. An aquarium was added.

In 1995, Government of Nepal entrusted the management of Nepal’s Central Zoo to the National Trust for Nature Conservation for 30 years. It was transferred to NTNC on the Golden Jubilee Birthday Celebration of the Late Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah in December 1995. The Trust aims to develop the Central Zoo as a center for ex-situ wildlife research and conservation education. The Central Zoo, with an area of about 6 ha., provides shelter to a total of 870 individual mammal, bird, fish and reptile of 109 species. It also serves as recreational center for the visitors. Central Zoo uniquely serves as a historical cultural site for diverse groups of people. The annual visitation of the zoo is 11,00,000. The budget is 4.5 crores.

Plastic Bag Centre - Saving the Animals!

Friends of the Zoo has grown exponentially since inception with over 100,000 members. The Education Department can’t keep up with the demand for programmes despite their levying charges for some of them as do the western zoos. A million people visit the tiny Central Zoo every year.

The revenue from ticket income supports the zoo. The zoo set up a modern animal hospital and an animal management unit which is constantly improving and enriching enclosures and improving the lives of animals.

Also at the entrance are huge colourful signs encouraging visitors to Many unsightly enclosures and crowded areas have been replaced with simple landscape with lovely plants and trees which creates the impression of spaciousness even though the zoo area has not been increased.

Although improvements have been consistent for some years now, after hosting a very successful SAZARC Conference NTNC-Central Zoo embarked upon a drastic makeover for the zoo. It is not a total replacement as it is not possible to increase the space and also NTNC and Nepal government have plans for a large open zoo in lushly vegetated area on the fringe of the city. Nonetheless, the makeover is transforming the zoo into a much more beautiful and modern site, using innovative methods to get around its small size.

The gate area has been completely renovated and many ticket counters added to keep up with the ever increasing numbers of visitors. Some time ago the zoo took up jihad on plastic bags in the zoo, as they were gradually killing off the animals. Today no one is permitted to take plastic into the zoo. Instead there is a “plastic bag counter” which will take visitors plastic bags and sell a cloth bag to replace it.

The deaths from impacted plastic bags are a thing of the past.

How long does waste take to decompose ?

photo - first enclosure

ZOOS PRINT, Volume XXVII, Number 6, June 2011

Don’t waste ...

Recycle, Recycle, Recycle!

14

Other old fashioned enclosures have been taken down or renovated, using plants and landscaping to cover not so beautiful bits.

Once an unattractive area this clear pool surrounded by trees is now home to gharial and a nice way to start a zoo visit.

A new play area has been added to let school classes kids blow off steam before the serious business of seeing the zoo. It works great as teachers themselves take part in the total chaos.

A major viewing area for ungulates, one of the first encountered by visitors is in a state of vast improvement. This area is adjacent to a residential street where the two or more story houses overlook the enclosures and can be dangerous for the animals if any stray items should be carelessly tossed. This area is under improvement but you can see the changes and the direction of its evolution. Bamboo shields have been put up around some of the important vegetation so that it can be seen by the public but not eaten by the always browsing ungulates.

For vegetation outside these area, certain plants not liked by the ungulates have been planted, some recognizable by their thorny leaves.

New play area enjoyed by teachers as well as their wild students.

A completely renovated tiger enclosure is 100% improved and now one can see the tigers wandering at will throughout the many hills, crevices, bushes, trees, caves, etc. without stereotypic behaviour. One doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t climb steps to over see the tigers in a distant well-like enclosure but can see them almost at eye level. There is chain mesh which is a pity and should be replaced by unbreakable glass if possible.

This well antlered deer enjoys the cover given by the thorny plants and the enclosure looks great behind greenery that the deer wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t eat.

The sloth bear enclosure has been vastly improved although you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really make out from the photo. You would have to see the earlier enclosure which was a typical draconian thick iron barred cell with little light and virtually no natural substance.

Both bear and tiger enclosures are vastly improved but the chain mesh ruins the view of the animals. Now modern zoos are using unbreakable class in such enclosures.

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The chain mesh enclosure includes a natural floor, plants, sunshine, light, and blessed space for the bear to run around.

Amenities for visitors have been added such vastly improved pathways to enclosures which are wide and level and made with attractive stone bricks.

There are also occasional non-occupied spots of land which have been nicely planted up and will give the impression of a larger facility such as the land next to this beautiful and practical walkway.

Tin roofs have been added to visitor areas of many of the open enclosures so that visitors can stand and watch the newly active animals run about in their more naturalistic environment.

Vastly improved pathways to enclosures which are wide and level and made with attractive stone bricks. Tin room over viewing area permits visitors to observe in hot sun or driving rain.

Altogether it is a great effort and good practice for the new zoo which will come up in due course.

Congratulations to Sarita Jnawali, Project Manager, her brilliant and passionate team, NTNC Officers and all the rest who help in running and renovating a zoo.

The large zoo tank and boating area is now lovely since the zoos completely replaced the sewage structure. The water is clean and visitors enjoy boating to get a fishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eye view of the zoo.

Readers will have to look carefully to see and understand this very clever innovation done for the sake of safety of animals, visitors and staff of the zoo and also of neighboring houses.

Although it cannot easily be seen, there is a double wall around the zoo area adjacent to private dwellings. In case of an earthquake or certain severe weather situations. The double wall will create a stronger protection for both zoo and houses. If you look in between the bars of the gate in the picture above, you can see the double wall!

Examples of cane and stick structures to protect the trees from browsing ungulates. Ungulates are fed plenty of green grass and fodder and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need this browse. They will appreciate this gesture next summer when they are luxurating under the shade of fully grown trees ... well, maybe.

ZOOS PRINT, Volume XXVII, Number 6, June 2011

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Captive Wild Animal Facilities in Nepal: Some details Sarita Jnawali The first official meeting of the Nepal Zoo Network took place on 22 June 2012 at Central Zoo. At the time of opening the meeting it was not known whether zoo managers and owners would want to come together. It became obvious in a very short time that they were enthusiastic about the idea, more as the day progressed.

Objectives of the meeting To be acquainted with animal facilities across Nepal.

To share information about the status of all facilities.

To discuss on common issues of zoo management such as challenges, problems and opportunities.

To envision zoo as a center of animal welfare, conservation, education and recreation.

To create a platform for networking of animal facilities in Nepal.

Total Facilities managed by various organizations Sahid Smarak Park Hetauda Mani Mukunda Sen Park Butwal Nepalgunj Zoo Nepalgunj Yalambar Park Dharan Hariyali Community Forest Dharan Panchakanya Mini Zoo Dharan Mrigasthali Deer Park Kathmandu Shankarnagar Ban Bihar Kendra Rupandehi Total Animal Facilities managed by Government Gharial Breeding Centre, Kasara, Chitwan NP Elephant Breeding Centre, Khorshor, Chitwan NP Vulture Breeding Centre, Chitwan NP Godawari Deer Park, Lalitpur

Common Issues Technical Animal enclosures Animal Diet Animal Health Animal Welfare Record Keeping

Management Animal Exchange Surplus animals Staff Training Visitors Facilities Zoo Plan Legal Status

Why Zoo Networking?

• Sharing of information • Sharing of technical expertise • Animal welfare and conservation • Animal Exchange • Setting up standards as mentioned in Zoo Act and trying to meet internationally recognized standards How to go ahead?

• Need of Zoo legislation (Zoo Act in process of getting approved) • Training need assessment and training of staff of new or on-going animal facilities • Mechanism for regular zoo monitoring • Education program –both for visitors and students.

• Zoo networking among all wild animal facilities in Nepal

See Factsheets for each facility, next pages.

Government facilities managed by NTNC Central Zoo, Jawalakhel, Lalitpur

ZOOS PRINT, Volume XXVII, Number 6, June 2011

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Factsheet of NTNC-Central Zoo Location : Lalitpur, Kathmandu Valley Area : 6 hectares Established : 1932 B.S Management : National Trust for Nature Conservation since 1995 for 30 years Staff : 75 Key activities : Animal Management and Conservation Education Annual visitors : 11,00,000 Budget : Rs. 4.5 crores Key features : Center of excellence for animal welfare and conservation education

Factsheet of Mani Mukunda Sen Park, Butwal Location : Bhoolpari, 2 km away from Butwal Area : 10 hectares Established : 1996 Management : Mani Mukunda Sen Uddyan conservation Committee with executive committee and 601 general members.

Staff : Out of 27, 2 staffs are directly taking care of animals. One staff was trained in Central Zoo in 2010.

Key activities : Recreational activities within park Annual Visitors : 225,000 Budget :Key features : Beautiful park and popular picnic spot

Animal Inventory - Central Zoo Categories Mammals Reptiles Fish Bird Total Key species:

Species Number 35 205 11 27 16 288 57 366 119 886 Elephant, Tiger, Bears, Black Buck, Swamp Deer, Siamang, Common Leopard, Sarus Crane

Factsheet of Sahid Smarak Park, Hetauda Location : 5 km form Hetauda Area : 20 hectares Established : 1994 Management : Martyers Memorial Committee Staff : Four full time staff Key activities : Recreation in Annual Visitors : 150,000 Budget : Rs.2,500,000 Key features : Garden and popular picnic spot

1 2 3

Sambar Deer Spotted Deer Barking Deer

4

Gharial crocodyle Peafowl Common Langur

Scientific Name Cervus unicolor Axis axis Muntiacus muntjak Gavialis gangeticus Parvo cristatus Semnopthicus entellus

7 8

Rhesus monkey Yellow Headed Tortoise

9

Male Female 1 4 0

0 2 1

0

0

2 1

2 0

Macaca rhesus Indotestudo elongata

1

1

Tricarinate Hill turtle

Melanochelys tricarinate

4

10 11 12

White Mice Guinea pig Rabbit

Mus musculus Cavia aperea Oryctolagus cuniculus

13 14

Greylag Goose Nepali Kaliz

Anser anser Lophura malabarica

5 6

15 Common Leopard

Panthera pardus

1 2

Spotted Deer Blue Bull

3 4 5 6

Python Pea fowl Rhesus monkey White Rabbits

7 8 9 10

12 13 14

Striped Hyena Jackal Guinea pig Common Leopard Himalayan Black Bear Himalayan Griffon Eagle Owl Barn Owl

Scientific Male Female Name Axis axis 8 10 Boselaphus 3 0 tragacamelus Python molurus 0 0 Parvo cristatus 2 Macaca mulata 2 0 Oryctolagus cuniculus Hyaena hyaena 1 0 Canis aureus 3 3 Cavia aperea Panthera pradus 1 Ursus thibetanus Gyps himalalayansis Bubo bubo Tyto alba

Unk. Total

0

18 3

4 0 0 0

4 2 2 10

0

1 6 25 1

0

1

1 1

1

1 2

1 2 77

Grand Total

Unk. Total 1 6 1 2

2 4 1

16

2 16

0

0

4

0 0

0 0

10 15 12

10 15 12

1 1

1 1 1

Grand Total

SN English Name

11

Animal Inventory of Sahid Smarak Park SN Name

Animal Inventory of Mani Mukunda Sen Park

Factsheet of Shankarnagar Ban Bihar Tatha Anusandhan Kendra, Rupendhehi Location : Bhoolpari, 2 km away from Butwal Area : 576 hectares Established : 2005 Management : Community forest management committee Staff : Two full time staffs trained in Central Zoo in 2010.

Key activities :Annual Visitors : Budget :Key features : Picinic spot Animal Inventory of Shankarnagar SN English Name

Scientific Name Axis axis Muntiacus muntjak Canis aureus

1 2

Spotted Deer Barking Deer

2 2

3

Jackal

4

Bluebull

1

5

79

6

Asiatic Rock Python Guinea pig

Boselaphus tragacamelus Python molurus Cavia aperea

7

White mice

Mus musculus

Male Female

Total

2 0

1 1

3 1

1

0

1

0

4

4

Grand Total

ZOOS PRINT, Volume XXVII, Number 6, June 2011

Unk.

5

5

25

25

12

12 51

18

Factsheet of Nepalgunj Zoo, Nepalgunj Location : Center of Nepalgunj City Area : 1.36 hectares Established : Animal facilities started in1997 with Deer and Black Buck from Central Zoo. Management : Nepalgunj Municipality Staff : One full time staff who was trained in Central Zoo. Key activities :Annual Visitors : Budget :Key features :-

Factsheet of Hariyali Community Forest, Dharan Location : Outskirts of Dharan city (Adjacent to Yalambar Park) Area : 700 hectares Established : 2000AD Management : Community forest management committee Staff : One full time staff (staff untrained about zoo keeping) Key activities : Recreation Annual Visitors : 50,000 Budget :Key features : Picnic

Animal Inventory of Nepalgunj Zoo SN English Name 1 Spotted Deer

Scientific Name

Male Female

Unk. Total

Axis axis

5

8

0

13

0

20

2

Black Buck

Antelope cervicapra

8

12

3

Peafowl

Parvo cristatus

1

1

4

Guinea Fowl

Numida meleagris

1

1

0

2

5

Budgeriger

0

0

20

20

6

Rabbits

2

3

0

5

7

Guinea pig

Melopsittacus undulatus Oryctolagus cuniculus Cavia aperea

2

2

0

4

8

Red collared Dove Japanese Bantam

Streptopelia tranquebarica

0

0

7

7

0

0

12

12

9

2

85

Factsheet of Yalambar Park, Dharan Location : Outskirts of Dharan city Area : 20 hectares Established : 2000 Management : Community forest management committee Staff : One full time staff (staff untrained about zoo keeping) Key activities : Recreation Annual Visitors : 50,000 Budget : Around Rs. 200,000 Key features : Community forest Animal Inventory of Yalambar Park Scientific Name

Male Female

Axis axis

2

3

Oriental Pied Hornbill Peafowl

Anthracocerus albirostris Parvo cristatus

1

1

6

Guinea pig

Streptopelia tranquebarica Oryctolagus cuniculus Cavia aperea

0

5

Red Collored Dove Rabbits

7

White Mice

Mus musculus

8

Rose Ringed Parakeet

Psittacula krameri

2 3 4

SN English Name 1 Spotted Deer

Scientific Name Axis axis

Male

Female

Unk.

Total

10

6

0

16

0

1 6

2

Porcupine

Hystrix indica

3

0

0

6

5

Bazzard

Anthracocerus albirostris Oryctolagus cuniculus Butastur tessa

1

4

Oriental Pied Hornbill Rabbits

1

1

6

White Mice

Mus musculus

0

0

16

16

Grand Total

Grand Total Â

SN English Name 1 Spotted Deer

Animal Inventory of Hariyali CF

Unk. 0

1 0

5

Total

Factsheet of Panchakanya Mini Zoo, Dharan Location : Outskirts of Dharan City (Adjacent to Yalambar Park) Area : N/A Established : 1997 Management : Panchkanya Resort Staff : One full time staff (staff Untrained about zoo keeping) Key activities : Recreation Annual Visitors : 200,000 Budget :Key features : Picnic and recreation Animal Inventory of Panchakanya SN English Name 1 Barking Deer

Scientific Name

Male Female

Muntiacias muntjak

1

1

2

Turkey

Meleagris gallopavo

1

0

3

Panthera pardus

1 0

0

2

4

Common Leopard Rabbits

1

5

Bazzard

Oryctolagus cuniculus Butastur tessa

5

6

Wild boar

Sus scrofa

1

0

7

Grey lag goose Mongoose

Anser anser

0

Herpestes edwardsii

0

5

4

8

0

12

0

0

10

10

40

8

Unk.

Total 2

0

1 1

12

12

1

1

0

1

0

5

5

0

1

1

Grand Total

24

10 0

0 Grand Total Â

5

5 50

ZOOS PRINT, Volume XXVII, Number 6, June 2011

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Factsheet of Mirgasthali Deer Park, Kathmandu

Factsheet of Elephant Breeding Center

Location

Location Established Management Staff elephants

: Adjacent to Pashupathinath Temple, Kathmandu : 5 hecters : 2004 : Pashupati Area Development Trust : Five

Area Established Management Staff Animal Inventory Spotted Deer : 100 Black Buck : 45 Barking Deer : 15

Factsheet of Gharial Conservation Program Location Established Management Staff Gharials

: : : : :

: : : : :

Chitwan National Park 1986 Chitwan National Park and NTNC 60 staff 30

Vulture Breeding Centre Location Established Management Staff Vulture

: : : : :

Chitwan National Park 2008 Chitwan National park, NTNC and BCN Four 40

Chitwan NP 1978 Chitwan NP and NTNC Five 500-700

Some animals and activities of the Nepal Zoo Network

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Central Zoo takes the Lead Sally Walker After I had been working in Mysore Zoo for awhile I was asked to be a member of India’s National Zoo Advisory Board. This enabled me to travel within India and I got an impression that there were many more zoos there than the 44 listed in government publications. I contacted Forest Departments, animal welfare organizations and Conservation NGO’s. Soon I could publish a list of 187 zoos, mini zoos, deer parks which work the Ministry of Environment, Government of India ... up!

• To design a strategy, management plan and guidelines to meet the criteria set by WAZA. • To catalyse zoo legislation.

Nepal had many animal facilities which might have been called zoos, or at least should have been documented. Zoo Outreach Organisation sent R. Marimuthu, our Education Officer, who did a “quick and dirty” survey of Nepal’s possible zoos, using contacts he made in Nepal over the years. In visits, conversations and email we documented 26 animal holding places which did not call themselves zoos, yet were open to the public and had many wild animals. We published this result also in ZOOS’ PRINT along with a suggestion the best zoo in Nepal, the Central Zoo, should take the lead and see that the concerned departments dealt with these facilities.

Sarita Jnawali and her colleague Shivraj Bhatta from the Wildlife Department attended the 8th SAZARC meeting which featured training on zoo legislation and introduced the relatively new WAZA Assessment Tool. This gave them all the instruments they needed to do the work of surveying their “not-zoos.” Since our suggestion had been in print it was not as difficult to enable permission and a grant for the survey.

A Central Zoo team was convened and carried out a detailed survey with a report with action steps.

List of the Zoo and Facilities surveyed • Sahid Smarak Park, Hetauda • Fulbari Resort, Pokhara • Mani Mukunda Sen Park, Butwal • Nepalgunj Zoo • Yalambar Park, Dharan • Hariyali Community Forest, Dharan Breeding Centre Gharial Breeding Centre, Kasara, Chitwan Elephant Breeding Centre, Khorshor, Chitwan Other facilities Mrigasthali Deer Park, Kathmandu

The Report included Objectives of the Survey • To list out all existing animal facilities in Nepal.

• To make detailed inventory of animals displayed.

• To assess management and operational mechanisms at the facilities.

• To assess conservation education and research initiatives (if any) conducted by individual facilities.

Expectation of the survey • To establish baseline information about animal facilities established and operational in Nepal.

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Recommendations of Inspection Team

Sample survey form

• Initiate preparation of zoo legislation and lobby for official endorsement.

• Prepare Zoo Management Guideline from Legislation.

• Establish network for facilities with Central Zoo as custodian of all.

• Help other facilities lobby to come within the legal framework.

• Develop mechanism to upgrade information of all zoos in Nepal.

• Find out all privately owned zoos Establish good animal hospital at Central Zoo for health services to other Nepal zoos.

• Assist facilities to upgrade existing established zoo based on criteria set by WAZA. • Regularly organize technical interaction sessions for all facilities.

• Make efforts to expand zoo areas.

Now, just a few years later, there is a Nepal Zoo Act completed and just awaiting the last looks of government before approval. There is, as if this month, a Nepal Zoo Network that had its first and founding meeting at the Central Zoo, Kathmandu. They are already planning the next meeting and how to go about generating communication, cooperation and collaboration among the zoos.

Good job ! NTNC, Wildlife Department, Sarita, and all who helped.

ZOOS PRINT, Volume XXVII, Number 6, June 2011

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Cologne’s Elephant Park Gunther Nogge* Abstract Cologne’s elephant park has a total area of 20.000 m², of which 5000 m² are indoors in the elephant barn. The indoor enclosures for males and females are 2250 m² and all outdoor enclosures are 8570 m² large in total.

The elephants are kept under protected contact. For training there are several separating dens and two squeeze cages located in the exits. In this framework of the EEP Asian elephants it was possible to build up a patchwork family group of elephants of presently 5.9 animals, both by births and by imports from other zoos, including institutions in countries of origin.

Key words New elephant facility, herd management, protected contact, behavioral enrichment, forming a new herd, birth in the group.

Building Description Cologne’s elephant park, opened in 2004, has a total area of 20.000 m², of which 5000 m² lie indoors (Fig.1).

Visitors approaching the entrance of the new elephant house, see only 50% of its height, because it is embedded halfway into a hill (Fig.2). The external wall of 200 m length consists of 57 concrete elements, the surface of which imitates the skin of an elephant. Visitors get the impression of the back of a recumbent elephant.

Entering the house they reach the central of three visitor platforms, above them the wooden ceiling of 3000 m² size (Fig.3). The ceiling is supported by seven to 12 metres high columns, which imitate trees. Each column consists of a bundle of slim concrete elements, which at their upper end are spread around light domes, each 8 metres in diameter.

These together with the vertical windows alongside the walls of the building bring so much daylight into the hall that artificial light is needed only at nighttime. Heating pipes are incorporated in the bundle of concrete elements, which blow warm air into the hall from their ends. In addition there is floor heating, primarily to help dry the floor after cleaning with water.

At the front rim of the platform visitors stand 2,25 metres above water level of the elephants’ bathing basin. The indoor enclosure for female elephants has a total area of almost 1500 m².

Separated by a wall formed of artificial rocks there is a smaller one for the bulls, sized 750 m². The surface of the indoor enclosures is made of mastic asphalt, colored light brown

Fig.1: Ground plan of Cologne’s elephant park

Fig.2: Front and visitor entrance of the elephant house © G. Nogge

corresponding to the color of the wooden ceiling.

There are altogether nine dens, sized 38–58 m² to enable the separation of elephants from one another. For training purpose the animals have to go their den once a day (Fig.4).

Visitors can just see the sliding doors in front of these dens. All doors are moved by help of electric motors under direct sight control of the keepers, in most cases by help of video monitors.

For remote controlled movements

ZOOS PRINT, Volume XXVII, Number 6, June 2011

there are three cameras installed for every door, one of which is movable (Fig.5). In the end all enclosures can be inspected at any time by remote controlled cameras. The indoor enclosures can be observed also at night from the control room thanks to infrared spotlights.

23

The separating dens are equipped with automatic water drinkers, UV – lamps for tanning of the animals as well as the usual flight doors for the keepers.

In the case of a sick elephant having to be lifted there is an I-beam under the ceiling for a crane runway, which can carry 6 tons.

Also the indoor enclosure for bulls has a bathing basin with warmed water (180) as well as four separating dens, two of which, sized 71 m² are indoors, and the other two, sized 90 m², outdoors. Bulls, in particular during musth can be moved without contact with the keepers from inside to outside and back.

Fig.3: Indoor enclosure for elephant cows © S. Schilling

Fig.4: One of the indoor separating dens © G. Nogge

Both for the bulls and the cows there are squeeze cages (Fig.6). They are located in the exits, which the animals have to pass every day. In the floor there are scales installed for weight control. The sidewalls of the cages have numerous openings, so that in the end each body part of an elephant is accessible for eventual medical investigations or treatments. The animals are trained regularly to stay in the squeeze cages, to accustom them in case of emergency.

Along the outer wall of the building is a service path, 200 meters long and 2 meters wide, which can be used also by vehicles. From here all enclosures and dens both inside and outside can be reached. Storerooms for hay and other food as well as rooms for staff and technique are in an adjacent building. For the benefit of behavioral enrichment automatic feeding machines have been developed.

Elephants find holes in various spots of the walls, which they may explore with their trunks. Food, however, is supplied at irregular times so the animals are continuously occupied and stimulated to move around.

The three visitor platforms are located on different levels (Fig.7). From the highest one visitors can observe the elephants both indoors and outdoors.

Plants and decoration of the visitors’ area reflect the natural habitat of Asian elephants. Information such as on the elephants’ biology, phylogeny, endangered status in the wild as well as their close relations to humans is displayed.

Fig.5: Control room from where all sliding doors are moved © G. Nogge

ZOOS PRINT, Volume XXVII, Number 6, June 2011

The outdoor enclosures There are three outdoor enclosures, one measuring 3300 m² for the cow elephants, another one 2900 m² large for the bulls, and a third one 2370 m², where both sexes can meet for pairing (Fig.8). Between the enclosures there are walls of artificial rock, about 4 meters high and up to 7 meters broad.

These dimensions allow the integration

24

of plants, which may not be reached by the elephants. There are altogether six gates between the enclosures, which may be closed by sliding doors. Most of the time, however, they are kept open, so that the animals can use the whole space of 8570 m², but also hide from each other, if they like. The ground consists of sand with a high percentage of mud, as it is used for horse riding ranges. All enclosures have mud wallows and places with fine sand for the comfort of the elephants.

Together with numerous fallen tree branches they offer a richly structured environment (Fig.9).

Visitors can walk around the whole elephant park and observe the animals from ever changing angles. Water moats of varying size between elephants and visitors provide safety.

The water volume of totally 5000 m³ is turned over within every three days and cleaned by a sedimentation device.

The elephants can use the moats to take a bath. For their convenience there are ramps to enter and to leave the moats as well as zones of shallow water, 1,50 meters deep, to lie in the water.

There are also shallow water zones for water plants placed where visitors easily can see them, but a 3,60 meters high barrier to prevent elephants from entering these zones.

Composition of elephant herds When the elephant park was built, there was only one Asian elephant remaining at the zoo, which was too old to be moved to the new facility (Nogge 2004). In the framework of the European Endangered Species Breeding Program (EEP) for Asian elephants, no single offspring is permitted to be moved from one zoo to another. Instead, there is an attempt to simulate the natural processes of group dynamics. When a herd of elephants in the wild has reached a certain size, it will divide itself. That is exactly what zoos must emulate (Dorresteyn 2001).

Fig.6: Side view of the bull’s squeeze cage © G. Nogge

Fig.7: Look from the central to the upper visitors’ platform © G. Nogge

After the herd of elephants belonging to Emmen Zoo, Netherlands had grown by births to fifteen animals, a group of four was separated to start a new herd at Cologne Zoo. These were Thi Ha Phyu (24 years old) with her son Aung Si (4 years) and Khaing Lwin Htoo (23 years) with her son Aung Bo (3 years).

A 35 year old bull (Bindu, a proven breeder) came from Howletts Wild Animal Park (Bekesbourne, England) and finally a 6 years old bull, Sang Raja, born at Singapore Zoo. So the elephant park was opened with six elephants. The sex ratio of 4.2, was Fig.8: Aerial view of the elephant park © V. Dennebier

ZOOS PRINT, Volume XXVII, Number 6, June 2011

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Fig.9: Part of the outside enclosure for female elephants © H. Feller

unfavorable, but Khaing Lwin was pregnant when she arrived at Cologne; she delivered Marlar, a female, on March, 30th, 2006. To achieve a better sex ratio at first two females were obtained in 2005 from the zoo in Yangon/Myanmar, Shu Thu Zar (11 years), and Aye Shan May (10 years).

In 2006 the Ayutthaya Royal Palace and Elephant Kraal in the old capital of Thailand provided five more females (Nogge, 2006). In the end of 2006, when Aung Si and Aung Bo had left the Zoo to join a bachelor group in Sevilla, Spain, the herd consisted of 12 elephants, double their number two years before, and with a sex ratio of 2.10 up from 4.2. Meanwhile two elephants have died, Khaing Lwin Htoo after a urinary bladder prolapse (Retroflexio vesicae) and Chumpol after exceptional heavy injuries she obtained in struggles within the hierarchy. Four more elephants have been born, three males, Min Jung, born 2/16/07, Kin Yadanar Min, born 7/27/09 and Rajendra, born 4/8/11 and another female, Maha Kumari, born 5/9/07. Presently there is a total of 14 (5.9) elephants (Table 1).

Discussion Two hundred years ago Buffon, the famous French zoologist said: “Elephants are the most prominent beings on earth besides men”. At the end of the 18th century not much was known in Europe about elephants. If zoos today want to provide their animals the best possible living conditions according to the most recent knowledge on their lives in nature, they have access to an amazing store of knowledge of the biology of elephants. (Kurt, 2001, 2006). Veasey (2006) has discussed intensively the well-being of elephants in zoos and concludes that “their management should be based around the

Ten elephants of Cologne Zoo in summer 2006 © H. Feller

Table 1: Development of Cologne‘ s elephant herd 2004 - 2012 Name BINDU SANG RAJA THI HA PHYU AUNG SI MAHA KUMARI KHAING LWIN HTOO AUNG BO MARLAR SHU THU ZAR AYE SHAN MAY KHIN YADANAR MIN CHUMPOL

Sex 1.0 1.0 0.1 1.0 0.1 0.1 1.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 1.0 0.1

Birthdate 1968 24.03.1999 May 1980 04.03.2002 09.05.2007 22.07.1981 16.07.2001 30.03.2006 03.06.1994 13.08.1995 27.07.2009 02.04.1983

Birth place Sri Lanka Singapore Myanmar Emmen Cologne Myanmar Emmen Cologne Myanmar Myanmar Cologne Thailand

Date in 10.09.2004 28.09.2004 05.08.2004 05.08.2004

20.04.2007 (Sevilla)

05.08.2004 05.08.2004

12.12.2006 (Death) 20.04.2007 (Sevilla)

KLEEBLAMDUAN THONG KHUN MIN JUNG RAJENDRA MAE JARUAD LAONG DAAV

0.1 0.1 1.0 1.0 0.1 0.1

1983 1988 16.04.2007 08.04.2011 1989 1990

Thailand Thailand Cologne Cologne Thailand Thailand

16.09.2006

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27.09.2005 27.09.2005 16.09.2006

02.05.2012 (Death)

16.09.2006 16.09.2006

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requirements of the animals themselves, taking into account an understanding of their biology and behavioral ecology.”

Also Garai and Kurt (2006) emphasize the importance of elephants in captivity must live in social groups as similar to their wild habit as possible. An excellent compilation on the husbandry of elephants was submitted recently by Chowta (2010).

The idea behind Cologne’s elephant park was to allow Asian elephants to keep a natural, species specific life in a group of natural size. The herd should be managed as a whole.

Contacts to the keepers should be reduced to a minimum and allowed only in a protected manner. To this end the animals from Emmen, which formed the nucleus of the new herd, were just the right for the park. They were accustomed to protected contact and they knew and supported one another, so the new environment was no problem for them at all. Shortly after their arrival Bindu and Sang Raja were integrated into the group. Bindu, known to be aggressive and dangerous to men, was absolutely peaceful to his unknown conspecifics. Even during musth it was not necessary to separate him from the group. If he wanted to be alone, he went his own way.

More difficult was the integration of Sang Raja, who had been raised by bottle, more or less isolated from other elephants which resulted in deficits in his social behavior.

Foolishly, he approached the only slightly younger bulls Aung Bo and Aung Si, and was warned on by Thi Ha Phyu.

In August 2005 the group was enlarged for the first time by the acquisition of two females Shu Thu Zar and Aye Shan May. Since the age distance between the two newly arrived and the older cows was 13–15 years, the hierarchy was not in question. The two younger ones, however, held together and mostly stood aside of others. The process of forming the new group was continuously and carefully observed by students (Knillmann, 2005, Müller,2005).

The herd management had its practical test when the first elephant calf was born. Regarding parturition there are presently two schools in Europe. One wants to have everything under control, and isolates the pregnant elephant, binding her legs so that keepers and veterinarians have easy access at any time. The other one prefers parturition in the group, as it is known today that experienced females in the group may support the female in labor particularly if it is her first birth. No doubt, young mothers need the presence of experienced group members.

Isolation in this situation is unnatural and means additional and unnecessary stress as well as danger for mother and offspring.

Pairing of elephants cannot be overlooked. However, if it happens at night, nobody sees it. This was the case with Khaing Lwin Htoo at Emmen where the elephants, including the bull, are allowed to stay together around the clock.

Khaing Lwin Htoo was sired at night so when she arrived, it was said that she was pregnant but nobody knew when she was going to deliver. Once she seemed to be having pangs of childbirth. As there was a webcam, the elephants including Khaing Lwin Htoo were observed day and night by elephant-wise people from all parts of the world, hundreds of whom contacted the zoo with good advice. Despite several suggestions to the contrary, parturition was not induced by the veterinarian … with good result as the birth pangs stopped, and it was another three months before birth took place. In the evening of March 29th 2006 the amniotic sac ruptured but the calf had not delivered by morning. Khaing Lwin Htoo was given an injection of birthstimulating drugs, and within a few moments Marlar was born in good health. Marla was first born in 140 years of keeping elephants at Cologne Zoo. The door was opened immediately, so that the herd had access to welcome their new member.

When Marlar was six months old, the five elephants from Thailand arrived. Now two social groups had to be melded.

In contrast to the suggestion of many elephant experts the new elephants were not introduced into the herd one by one. Instead, after they had made acquaintance with each other through the bars, the two groups were allowed to meet. The main question was, which of the two group leaders would lead the united group. Within a couple of days the question was answered as might be expected from elephants, e.g., the oldest and most experienced female, Thi Ha Phyu, took over. After some time, however, she gave up the leadership and the second in command, Kleeblamduan, the highest ranking Thai elephant replaced her. This process was very exciting to follow. The group was not a natural family group but a “patchwork” family brought together from different origins and with unnatural age distribution that now had to grow together. In spite of everything the experiment turned out to be very successful.

Today, seven years after opening the elephant park, we can state that the concept of herd management works. It was new and unused for the keepers, and they had much to learn, but the longer they practice it, the more they support it. The elephants can keep their own life as other animals at the zoo do. Just as methods of keeping great apes have changed over the last few decades, the methods of keeping elephants at zoos have to change in the same way. The writer is convinced that the concept of herd management in the long run will prevail.

The traditional, “hands on” way of keeping elephants is not condemned, at all. The question is, however, would we be able to stick to it in the long run. In the past elephants in Europe were imported from the countries of origin, already tamed and trained. Nowadays each year a dozen or more elephants are born in Europe. Taming an elephant is a difficult process, and there is hardly anybody in Europe who really knows it. However, improperly tamed and trained elephants are dangerous and a source of accidents.

Therefore, protected contact is the only method of keeping elephants in the future.

Literature cited Chowta, P. (2010). Elephant Code Book - Bangalore, India,126 pp.

Dorresteijn, A. (2001). Forward planning and EEP management for elephants in EAZA institutions. In: Schwammer, H. & S. De Vries (Eds.). Beiträge zur Elefantenhaltung in Europa 13 – 16. Münster Garai, M & F. Kurt (2006). The importance of socialization to the wellbeing of elephants. - Z. Kölner Zoo 49, 97 – 102.

Knillmann, B. (2005). Gehegenutzung und Aktivität der Asiatischen Elefanten (Elephas maximus) im Zoologischen Garten Köln. – Thesis, University of Cologne, 224 pp.

Kurt, F & M. Garai (2007). The Asian Elephant in Captivity.- Cambridge University Press India, 352 pp.

Kurt, F. (2006). History of management in captive elephants. - Z. Kölner Zoo 49, 75 – 81.

Müller, T. (2005). Sozialverhalten und Kommunikation bei den Asiatischen Elefanten (Elephas maximus) im Zoologischen Garten Köln. - Thesis University of Cologne, 147 pp.

Nogge, G. (2004). Elefanten in Köln. – Z. Kölner Zoo 47, 95 – 108.

Nogge, G. (2006). Elephant connection. - Thailand Rdsch. 19, 66 – 71.

Vasey, J. (2006). Concepts in the care and welfare of captive elephants. – Int. Zoo Yearb. 40, 63 – 79.

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‘Thousand Leggers’ B.A. Daniel* Millipedes, otherwise known as ‘Thousand Leggers’, are striking in appearance and they occupy a unique position among organisms that live on soil substrates. These arthropods are generally long in relation to its width, cylindrical animals with two pairs of legs in each body segment and they have fewer than a hundred pairs of legs. Usually they are seen on damp floors and they feed on rotten plant materials or detritus. Millipedes do not have poison claws as Centipedes. When prod, they curl up.

Large brown millipede. Photo: Preston Ahimz

There are about 12,000 such kinds known to science around the world. It is predicted the total number of millipedes in the world could be around 80,000. That means majority of millipede species are yet to be described. These creatures are reported to have evolved on our planet about 400 million years.

Millipedes play very important role in the ecosystem.

They perform many functions such as soil turnover, aeration, conversion of nitrogen and phosphorus and incorporation of organic matter into the soil. They create a type of humus on the topsoil. The health and survival of deciduous forest depends on them since they are one of the primary mechanical decomposers of dead wood and leaf litter – detrivorus. They feed on decaying vegetable matters and mineral soils. Some of the other detrivorus species includes Isopods (woodlice), Collembola (springtains) mollusca (snails and slugs), Scarabaeidae (dung beetles) and Silphidae (burying beetles).

A species from Sivakasi found throughout the year.

Photo: Isai Arasu

These arthropods inhabits forest floor and it is also found to have established in plains, cultivated lands and gardens. They are seen on the soil surface during monsoon in singles or small numbers crawling on the walls, rocky edges, open fields and plain lands and also found in large aggregates. They are also found laying spirally coiled under litter, dead wood, stones and inside rotten trunks. Millipedes in general are very slow in their movements and hence dispersal is limited. This has resulted in high degree of endemism as evidenced by the number of endemic species reported from India (Attems 1936).

According to Shelley (2003) class Diplopoda has 16 Orders and 146 families with about 12,000 millipede species globally. In India these are commonly found but studies on this group are scanty. Bano (1999, 2005) based on studies and from literature states that there could be as many as 500 species of millipedes in India. However the actual numbers are not known. Attems (1936) in his book ‘Memories of the Indian Museum’ reports 290 species and subspecies of Diplopoda. He also states that majority of these species are endemic to this region. Nearly 70% of the genera reported by Attems are endemic to this region, however, Indian territory, in those days, had a wider region including Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Indo-Gangetic alluvial plain in the north and portions of China. Hence more studies are needed to ascertain the endemic status of these species.

Studies by Ashwini and Sridhar (2002), Prabhas et al.

(2011) Karthikeyan and Alagesan (2011) reveals the potential use of this group to make ‘millicompost’ which gives better nutritional supplies than the compost produced by conventional methods, in terms of nutritional quality and also their effect on growth of the vegetable plant tested.

Blue-legged millipede from Chittoor District, AP. Photo: Kedar

Pill millipede from rainforest of Agumbe.

Photo: Binu Arthor

References: Ashwini, K.M. & K.R. Sridhar (2006). EJEAFChe, 5(2): 1323-1329.

Attems, C. (1936). Me. Ind. Mus. Vol. XI. Pp. 133-23 Bano, K. (1999). Bugs R All 3(1): 3,5.

Bano, K. (2005). Envis Chapter 5.

Karthigeyan, M & P. Alagesan (2011). Recent Research in Science and Technology 3(9): 62–67.

Shelley, R.M. (2003). Arthropoda Selecta 11: 187–207.

Thakur, P.C., P. Apurva & S.K. Sinha (2011). Advances in Applied Science Research, 2 (3): 94–98.

* Scientist, Zoo Outreach Organization, Coimbatore.

E-mail: badaniel@zooreach.org

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Sighting of Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus at Haripura Reservoir in Uttarakhand, India Anushree Bhattacharjee* The Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus is a large bird belonging to the stork family Ciconiidae. Although this bird is typically 110–120 cm in height (Grimmett et al. 1999), it is the smallest of the Leptoptilos genus. This bird flies with its neck retracted (Grimmett et al. 1999), thus differentiating it from other storks. It has a bare head and neck, similar to a vulture (Ali 1941), an adaptation for its carrion feeding habits. The Lesser Adjutant has a glossy black upper body and wings with white belly and under-tail coverts (Kazmierczak & Van Perlo 2000). Its bill is slimmer than the Greater Adjutant and it lacks the pendulous neck pouch (Ali 1941). The adult has a visible pale frontal plate on the head and a crest of dense feathers on the head as well as on the neck (Ali and Ripley 1978). The juvenile is a duller version of the adult (BirdLife International 2012).

The Lesser Adjutant is listed as “Vulnerable” in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as the global population of this species is small and rapidly declining. Main threats to this species are hunting and conversion of wetland areas (IUCN 2011). The latest global population of this species is estimated to be around 6,500-8,000 individuals (BirdLife International 2012). The species has an extensive range across south and south-east Asia with substantial populations in India, Indonesia and Cambodia and smaller breeding populations in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and Thailand (Sharma 2006; BirdLife International 2012). In India, it breeds mainly in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Orissa (BirdLife International 2012). The Lesser Adjutant is considered a vagrant species in most of north and central India with only individual records of occurrence (Ali 1941; Ali & Ripley 1978; Grimmett et al. 1999; Kazmierczak & Van Perlo 2000). It is mainly found inhabiting inland wetlands, both natural and man-made (BirdLife International 2012).

As part of the regular waterfowl census programme in selected wetlands located in the Corbett landscape to estimate the population of migratory birds arriving every winter, Haripura Reservoir (290 06’ N, 790 20’ E), on Baur River, located in Terai Central territorial forest division of Uttarakhand, was monitored on a fortnightly basis by the wildlife division

Figure 1: Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus standing in an agricultural field

of the Corbett Foundation during the winter months. During one such census on 6th March 2011, at about 09:50 hrs, the author spotted a large stork with black plumage, white underparts and a yellowish head and neck in a agriculture field which was part of the reservoir area. It was identified as a non-breeding adult Lesser Adjutant.

The bird preferred to keep a safe distance from humans. When the field was approached it took flight during which the typically retracted neck was clearly observed, and settled on a large tree much farther away. The bird was not observed during the subsequent waterfowl census carried out at Haripura reservoir a fortnight later. It is hoped that this information of sighting of the Lesser Adjutant would help update its present distribution in Uttarakhand.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am extremely grateful to Mr. Dilip D. Khatau, Chairman of The Corbett Foundation, for his great passion for all wildlife and unstinted support to all research and conservation programmes being carried out by the wildlife division of The Corbett Foundation.

REFERENCES Ali, S. (1941). The Book of Indian Birds. Oxford University Press, Mumbai, 354pp.

Ali, S. & S.D. Ripley (1978).

Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan, Divers to Hawks. Vol. 1.

Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 384pp.

BirdLife International (2012).

Species factsheet: Leptoptilos javanicus. Retrieved from www.birdlife.org. on 17/01/2012.

Grimmett, R., C. Inskipp & T. Inskipp (1999). Pocket Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 384pp.

IUCN (2011). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Species factsheet: Leptoptilos javanicus. Version 2011.2.

Retrieved from www.iucnredlist.org on 17/01/2012.

Kazmierczak, K. & B. Van Perlo (2000). A Field Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. United Kingdom: Pica Press, 352pp.

Sharma S. (2006). Population status Sharma, and distribution of Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) in far-western lowland Nepal. Tigerpaper 33(4): 9-11.

* The Corbett Foundation, Village & P.O. Dhikuli, Ramanagar – 244715, District Nainital, Uttarakhand, India.

Email: anushreebhattacharjee@gmail.com

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Save the Knifetooth Sawfish (Anoxypristis cuspidata) (Latham, 1794) Devdatta Gopal Lad* The Knifetooth Sawfish Anoxypristis cuspidata Latham is distributed widely in the Indo – West Pacific Ocean. It was once extensively fished from the shallow inshore and estuarine waters of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Japan, Korea and Vietnam.

Due to extensive fishing and habitat loss, A. cuspidata was assessed as Critically Endangered and included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. (ZSI 2011) (Compagno et.al 2006). The Population of Knifetooth Sawfish is getting reduced and fragmented day by day.

It falls in the family Pristidae, is physically characterized by the presence of a narrow rostral saw with prominent 16 to 29 pairs of distinctive dagger – shaped teeth on the rostrum but there are no teeth present along the quarter of the rostral saw nearest to the head.

Major threat to Sawfish is overfishing. The distinctive physical structure of long toothed – studded saw, makes them easily entangled into any sort of net gear, including primitive fishing technology. Already the population is fairly small and because of overfishing it is reduced extensively and sometimes it is also fished as bycatch along with some other commercially important fishes.

It is being caught exclusively for its flesh and oil – rich liver. The rostrum is being used in traditional Chinese medicine. There is also an increasing worldwide demand for live sawfish for aquarium trade.

Since 2001 the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests has protected all the species of sawfishes under the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) 1972. The Knifetooth Sawfish and other sawfish species should be protected and conserved before they become completely extinct from this world.

References Compagno, L.J.V., S.F. Cook, M.I. Oetinger & S.L. Fowler (2006). Anoxypristis cuspidata. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 23 June 2012.

* C/211, Riddhi Siddhi, Saptarshi Sankul, Ovaripada, Dahisar (East), Mumbai 400068.

Email: devdatta.lad@gmail.com

The 4th International Congress on Zoo Keeping 9-13 September 2012 Singapore The 4th Conference of the International Congress of Zookeepers will be held in Singapore in 2012, hosted by Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

Theme: “Many Voices, One Calling” Wildlife Reserves Singapore is proud to host in conjunction with the ICZ the 4th International Congress on Zoo Keeping, from September 9th to 13th, 2012. This conference themed “Many Voices, One Calling” hopes to bring together keepers and zoo professionals from around the World for the objectives of enhancing the professionalism of Zoo Keepers and the welfare of the wild animals in their care.

Delegates from every country have much to contribute. We encourage keepers to share their knowledge and experiences in the field of Zoo Keeping with their fellow keepers at this momentous event. We look forward to hear your Many Voices committing to our One Calling. See you in Singapore 2012!

Registration is now open – to register please click here (http://www.toureastevents.net/ei/getdemo.ei? id=20&s=_30O0Y6LIL).

For questions regarding payments or whether your registration has been processed please email icz2012@toureast.net. For more details visit http://www.iczoo.org/singapore2012.php

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Leaping Ahead of Amphibian Extinction….a celebration of good news for amphibians in 2012 in South Asia coordinated by ZOO Complied by R. Marimuthu Amphibian Ark, a joint effort of World Association of Zoos and Aquariums WAZA, Conservation Breeding Specialist Group CBSG and Amphibian Specialist Group ASG, launched a new “event” to coincide with “Leap Day” on 29 February 2012. It is an international event, called “Leaping Ahead of Extinction: A celebration of good news for amphibians in 2012.

Though this event was focused globally on institutions that are conserving amphibian species in the captivity and involving in conservation activities that are being carried out in the wild. Zoo Outreach Organisation coordinated this programme for the South Asian region.

Since South Asian zoos doesn’t keep amphibians in captivity, so we mainly focused the day by simply creating awareness among people about amphibians importance in the ecosystem. Our educator network members have been asked to carry out this task. Sixteen institutions from India and one each from Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan participated in this event.

Within the short time, Zoo Outreach Organisation reprinted AArk’s leap day posters, plus supplied 5 kinds of amphibian masks, colouring books, South Asian Amphibian posters and amphibian education packets to Indian participants and for Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan participants we had the soft copies of the materials. Overall, we supplied 1000 posters, 250 South Asian Amphibian posters, 1500 masks and 150 Colouring books. The following educators from India, Nepal and Bangladesh participated in this event and created mass awareness on that day. The following persons/ institutions participated in this event.

India 1. Mr. Dilip Chakravarty, Project Officer, CEE, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 2. Mr. Vinodkumar Damodar, Conservation of Nature Society, Calicut, Kerala 3. Ms. Jessie Jeyakaran, Volunteer Educator, Ramapuram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 4. Ms. Rani Kirubairaj, Teacher, C.C.M. Hr. Sec. School, Idayangudi, Tirunelveli. Dist., Tamil Nadu.

5. Dr. S. Sethuramalingam, Scientist E, Regional Museum of Natural History, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 6. Dr. Amita Kanaujia, Associate Professor, Lucknow University, Uttar Pradesh 7. Ms. Gayathri Selvaraj, Education Officer, Madras Crocodile Bank Trust,

Tamil Nadu 8. Dr. A. Selvin Samuel, Professor, St. Johns College, Palayamkottai, Tamil Nadu 9. Dr. A. Manimozhi, Biologist (SG), Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur, Tamil Nadu 10. Mr.B. Rathinasabapathy, Project Coordinator, Nilgiri Biosphere Nature Park, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 11. Mr. Anand Pendharkar, SPROUTS, Mumbai, Maharashtra 12. Dr. Puja Vijay Sukhija, Executive Director-OASIS, Mumbai, Maharashtra 13. Dr. K. V. Rao, Director, Pilikula Regional Science Center, Mangalore, Karnataka 14. Mr. K. Packianathan, Eco club Coordinator, St. Xavier’s Hr. Sec. School, Palayamkottai, Tamil Nadu 15. Ms. Pratibha Singh IFS, District Forest Officer, Unnao, Uttar Pradesh 16. R. Marimuthu, Zoo Outreach Organisaiton (for use in Indian Zoo Educators Workshop at Bhopal)

Other South Asian Countries 17. Ms. Rachana Shah, Central Zoo, Kathmandu, Nepal 18. Mr. Mongur Morshed Choudhury, Chittagong Zoo, Bangladesh 19. Ms. Bushra Nisar Khan, Lahore, Pakistan All of them arranged an amphibian awareness programme on that day and sent us their reports. Two of the reports R. Marimuthu from ZOO and Ms. Gayathri Selvaraj of MCBT were published in March 2012 issue of ZOOS PRINT magazine. The remaining reports are here:

B. Rathinasabapathy, Nilgiri Biosphere Nature Park, Coimbatore, TN NBNP organized a programme to the Govt. Tribal Residential School, Anaikatti on the 29 February 2012.

Fifty students of 9 & 10 Std aged 14-15 took part in the one-hour event.

Tribal school students participated in the leap day event

Whoever won in the frog race received amphibian colouring book as prize

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The event comprised of small brief about the theme “Leaping Ahead of Extinction, global amphibians diversity and the Western Ghats amphibians diversity. Small interactive session with the students especially to highlight the threats faced by amphibians locally and globally and the necessary step to conserve them was conduced. A frog walk event was organized to the students to teach them about the frog locomotion. All the students have taken pledge to conserve the amphibians. Amphibians colouring book was given to the winners of the frog walk event. AArk Posters and masks were given to rest of the students.

Leaping as frogs for the amphibian conservation

Students playing frog puzzle game

Teachers and students with amphibian education kits

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Dr. Amita Kanaujia. Lucknow University, Uttar Pradesh Department of Zoology, Lucknow University organized Leap Day (February 29, 2012) with the support of Uttar Pradesh State Biodiversity Board, Regional Science City, Lucknow, Zoo Outreach Organisation ZOO, and Amphibian Network of South Asia ANSA, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.

The programme was conducted at Regional Science City, Aliganj, Lucknow, involving students of class 5-8. The aim of the programme was to raise awareness regarding Amphibian Conservation among the students through various competitions based on Amphibian topics. About 162 students participated in quiz, 190 students wrote slogans on amphibian conservation, more than 50 students participated in frog leap, 126 students participated in art competition and 8 groups of 4 students each participated in puzzle making. In all more than300 students participated in the events.

More than 200 on amphibians were distributed among the students and teachers. The celebration of Leap Day was a multi-disciplinary integrated approach for amphibian conservation.

The purpose of this day was to teach students the importance of amphibians and the need of every citizen to contribute to what has become a monumental task. This programme created mass public awareness and support for amphibian conservation activities through targeted campaigns and formal and non-formal education.

The unforgettable objectives were to build partnerships with local and traditional communities for effective amphibian conservation.

Ms. Rani Kirubairaj, Teacher, CCM Hr. Sec. School, Idayangudi, Tirunelveli Report 1: Samariah St. John’s Hr. Sec. School participated in the International Event- “Leap Day” on 29 Feb 2012 by

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celebrating Leaping Ahead of Extinction Programme. At 9.00 am, std 6-12 students and staff gathered. Advocate A.K.Seenivasan, Town Panchayat President was the chief guest; Correspondent Dr. J.I.P. Rajan graced the function. Head Master W. Joel Revingston delivered the introductory talk on the amphibians and their role in our environment. The following science club students conducted a seminar. Muthu Manohari-How to conserve frogs?; Felix-Toads; AgnesSalamander; Scindia-Caecilian; Jenson-Indian hyalid frog; Delpin Jane Mini-Malabar Ramanella; Isai Rajakumar-Cricket frog;Usha SherlinMarble frog and Sudharson-Extinct Dinosaur.

Amphibian information board was set up in the school campus

Students handled the frogs and released them where they catch

Students were taken to nearby pond to study about frogs

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All wore the frog masks supplied by Zoo Outreach Organisation, Coimbatore. National Green Crops girl students belonging to 9 Std enacted a drama. The students raised slogans about protecting the Amphibians.

Placards and photographs of some rare kinds of frogs were exhibited. Mr. Basker P.G. Assistant and Head Master read out the Leap Day pledge. It was useful and enlightened every one. Ms. Vijai Margaret P.G. Zoology Teacher made the arrangements.

Report-2: CCM Hr. Sec. School participated in the ‘International Event’ “Leap Day” 29th Feb 2012 by celebrating Leaping Ahead of Extinction Programme. At 9.00 A.M. Std 6 – 9 Students of our school, our feeder schools, Middle school and Primary School Head Masters, Staff and students, Village president C. Jeygar and 35 village workers gathered in the school premise. Head Master J.C.A.D. Rajakumar welcomed the gathering.

Our Chief Guest Dr. Solomon gifted a book ‘Discovering Wildlife-The Ultimate Fact File’ to our school library. He inspired the gathering by explaining how frogs are important in the food chain, its medicinal and aesthetic values and also he mentioned about poisonous frogs. He said that we should keep our water bodies clean and tidy as our own abode to safeguard the frogs. President Jeygar said, ‘there are much to learn about frogs’, I knew some of these facts just now after hearing the talk. National Green Corps boys wore the masks of different frogs and enacted a drama.

The NGC girls sang an awareness song – on the leap day let us be glad, sing & dance because the people are going to conserve us, the ponds have stone banks and trees are planted there, water is clean’. SPM Manohar read the Leap day pledge, Head Master Rajakumar mentioned that we must allow all living creatures

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to survive in this world. NGC coordinator Rani Kirubairaj narrated a story – frogs decided not to disturb the humans and stopped singing at nights.

On the third night one girl told her friend that she had restless two nights – No ‘Croaking’ of frogs. Then the frogs continued singing at nights. It’s ‘Nature’. She described the food of various frogs by using the colouring books supplied by Zoo Outreach Organisation. She said ‘ponds are there’ – but no ‘frogs’.

An evaluation was carried out. In this, village workers admitted that they used to chase off frogs using brooms and frogs turned upside down. They said that, hereafter they will be kind to them. T. Vignesh studying in 7 Std said that until 3 std he scared to see frogs. Afterwards he used to catch them and tie their limbs together and play, while he was bathing in the well he used to throw away the frogs. After hearing about the frogs he said that he wouldn’t do like this in his life. A bulletin board was displayed with enlarged frog information which taken from ZOO’s education materials and this board was visited by all. Sixty-five class 6 students submitted frog drawings on that day.

Dr. A. Manimozhi, Biologist (SG), AAZP & Ms. Jessie Jeyakaran, Volunteer Educator, Chennai Forty six students from MCC Campus Matriculation School, 36 students from Murray Rabindhra School and 40 students from MCC NSS, Tambaram, Chennai were attended. Mrs. Jessie welcomed the gathering and that it was a leap day, a leap year and a leaping animal that we are going to talk about and have gathered here to participate in the outreach programme conducted by the Aringnar Anna Zoological Park. Mrs. Jessie said that the “Amphibian Ark” programme was started in 2008. Pamphlets and awareness programme were conducted and frog sightings were recorded till 2011. Following that Leaping beyond extinction is introduced in this Leap Day. A brief introduction was given by Dr. Yagnasekar, NSS coordinator, MCC,Tambaram. The chief guest Mr. Sugato Dutt, I.F.S., Deputy Director, Arignar Anna Zoological Park enlightened the participants about importance of 29 February 2012 and he asked the participants why we gathered here. He explained that we were celebrating the amphibians, as they were in the verge of extinction.

He also explained the meaning of “Amphi” meaning double and “bians” meaning organism. These organisms live both in water and in land. He said those twenty years ago, Kelambakkam

AArk leap posters supplied by ZOO introduced to the students

Students with AArk poster and wearing amphibian masks

Quiz programme: winners awarded with amphibian colouring book and poster

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had many agricultural fields and ponds were home for number of frog species.

But, now in 2012, the fields have been given away to IT buildings and developmental activities. Even the nearby Otteri Lake has very few frog species because concrete buildings surround the lake and there is no inflow of water. As frogs are the biological indicator of the environmental changes, they provide early warning system. The zoo is planning to have a separate enclosure for amphibians and he asked suggestions from the participants of how they would like to see the amphibian in enclosure.

Dr. A. Manimozhi, spoke on how frogs played a vital role in our environment and in our lives by being a pest controller and a food for the other species on our food web. He also cleared the myth that diseases will spread if we touch a toad, which is not true. He concluded his speech encouraging the participants to promote awareness on the significant

role of frogs in maintain ecological balance and all living organisms from the tiny bacteria to the biggest whale have infinite value and we have to respect their existence. The children were encouraged to keep frogs as pets too. Mr. A.J. Mithra, Musicologist and music teacher of MCC Campus Matriculation School, divided the participants into different groups and taught the different croaks of the frogs with a musical rhythm. He also taught a song composed for the occasion and the children of MCC Campus School, rendered his catchy fulfilled song while the others learnt it. Dr. A. Manimozhi and Mrs. Jessie Jeyakaran explained about the amphibians, besides distributing the special poster printed for the Leap Day. They also inspected the students to decentralize their experience to friends, parents, and neighbours and to the people in the parks and picnic spots. End of the event a quiz programme were organized and the winners were provided price materials issued by Zoo Outreach Organisation, Ciombatore.

Students tying amphibian rakhi pledging to conserve amphibians

Dr. S. Sethuramalingam, released a live frog to the Sunken bridge

ZOOS PRINT, Volume XXVII, Number 6, June 2011

Dr. Ranjit Sam, the zoo veterinary officer gave away the prizes to the winners of the quiz competition and all the participants took an oath to help protect all living species, especially frogs.

Finally all the participants went around the zoo and created awareness among the visiting schools and general visitors from different parts of the State and also from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka on frog conservation. The participants expressed their sincere thanks to ZOO Outreach Organization, Amphibian Ark, Arignar Anna Zoological Park and the coordinators.

Mr. Dilip Chakravarthy, CEE & Dr. Sethuramalingam, RMNH, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Leap year day comes once in four years. Similarly frogs are known for their leaping behavior. Hence today it has been chosen to highlight the leaping animal frog and their importance in the ecosystem service as a pest manager. This international event arranged at RMNH jointly with RMNH, Bhopal and CEE called "Leaping Ahead of Extinction: A celebration of good news for amphibians in 2012” is conducted to simply create an awareness among people that amphibians are important to ecosystems, harmless to human beings except in rare cases of disease or allergy. They are declining severely in the wild due to habitat destruction and severe climate change. Hence RMNH today released Frog as a symbolic gesture to enhance the ecosystem service of the man – made lake at Sunken Bridge. The resource person was Shri Joseph Kujur and Shri Dilip Chakravarty drawn from CEE, Bhopal.

The objective of the programme was to spread amphibian conservation message to everyone, to understand and convey that all have a responsibility to take care of our precious planet. At RMNH campus along with few hundred students, the Regional Museum of Natural History, Bhopal along with Centre for Environment Education, CEE observed this ‘Leap Day’ by conducting activities and programmes on Amphibians.

Along with the lecture, activities and games, the students of Govt. Naveen Hr.Sec.School, Arera Colony, Govt.

Naveen Hr. Sec. School, Chunna Bhatti and Govt. Rajabhoj Hr. Sec. School numbering 100 attended the programmes. Special poster and Packets on “Frogs are part of Biodiversity” were distributed to all participants. Mr. Amol Adholiya from Govt. Naveen Hr. Sec. School, Arera

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school, was also present during the programme. Students did painting in the colouring books, which were distributed to them in groups. Prizes were awarded and children enjoyed the programme. PRSC thanks Zoo Outreach Organization for its encouragement in providing all the demonstration materials and posters for the programme. The Headmaster and teachers for the school deserve special thanks for their kind cooperation for helping PRSC in celebrating the day.

AArk posters distributed to the students

Colony, Mrs. Jyoti Saxena from Govt.

Rajabhoj Hr. Sec. School and Mrs. Sunita Pataria from Govt. Naveen Hr. Sec. School, Chunna Bhatti participated in the programme.

Dr. S. Sethuramalingam, Scientist-E, heading the museum, welcomed the gathering and then released a live frog to the Sunken Bridge Ecosystem while hundreds of children witnessed. The resource materials received form Zoo Outreach Organization, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu were distributed to students and general public. Shri Manik Lal Gupta, Educational Assistant was the coordinator of the programme.

Dr. V. K. Rao, Director, Pilikula Regional Science Centre, Mangalore, Karnataka Zoo Outreach Organization, Coimbatore took the initiative for

celebration of World Amphibian leap day by involving Pilikula Regional Science Centre, Mangalore for the Eco Club students of Govt. High School, Moodushedde. About 50 students participated in the programme. Masks and posters regarding amphibians donated by Zoo Outreach Organization were distributed among the students.

The Resource person involved in planning the programme told the significance of the Amphibian day to the students. Mr. Jagannath, Education Assistant, PRSC, Mangalore & Miss Priyanka, Education Assistant, PRSC, Mangalore spoke about the Amphibians and their importance.

Other Environmental games were also conducted to make the students love the animals and tell them that no animal on earth is so cruel except man.

There is a need to protect Amphibians as they are becoming nearly extinct.

Mrs. Swathi, Teacher of the High

Vinod Kumar Damodar, Conservation of Nature Soceity, Calicut, Kerala The Conservation of Nature Society organized the ‘LEAP DAY’ 2012 to create awareness on the protection of Amphibians. The newly found amphibians from the ‘Western Ghats’ were the core subjects of the programme. The programme organized in the Regional Science Centre on the 29.02.2012. Students and their teachers participated. The students performed a drama on frog conservation. The increasing tourism shown through a drama by the students and its effect on the Amphibian LEAP was the main attraction.

The threats faced by the wetlands and the forests, why the frogs are not able to leap in the Western Ghats due to the severe fire in the area and due to huge destruction of the Bamboo forests etc were discussed. The Press was keen to know the drawing done with the ZOO amphibian education materials which showed how the frogs/amphibians could not leap because of the man made fires.

Moodushedde High School students are keen in learning about amphibian conservation

ZOOS PRINT, Volume XXVII, Number 6, June 2011

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Magazine of Zoo Outreach Organisation ZOO’s PRINT Publication Guidelines

Publication Information

We welcome articles from the conservation community of all SAARC countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and other tropical countries if relevant to SAARC countries’ problems and potential.

ZOO’s PRINT, ISSN 0973-2543 Published at: Coimbatore Owner: Zoo Outreach Organisation, 96, Kumudham Nagar, Vilankurichi Road, CBE 35

Type — Articles of semi-scientific or technical nature.

News, notes, announcements of interest to conservation community and personal opinion pieces.

Editor: Sally R. Walker Associate Editors: R.V. Sanjay Molur and Daniel B. Ayyachamy Managing Editor: Latha G. Ravikumar Editorial Assistant: R. Marimuthu

Feature articles — articles of a conjectural nature — opinions, theoretical, subjective.

Case reports: case studies or notes, short factual reports and descriptions.

News and announcements — short items of news or announcements of interest to zoo and wildlife community Cartoons, puzzles, crossword and stories Subject matter: Captive breeding, (wild) animal husbandry and management, wildlife management, field notes, conservation biology, population dynamics, population genetics, conservation education and interpretation, wild animal welfare, conservation of flora, natural history and history of zoos. Articles on rare breeds of domestic animals are also considered.

Source: Zoos, breeding facilities, holding facilities, rescue centres, research institutes, wildlife departments, wildlife protected areas, bioparks, conservation centres, botanic gardens, museums, universities, etc. Individuals interested in conservation with information and opinions to share can submit articles ZOOS’ PRINT magazine.

Manuscript requirements: Articles should by typed into a Word format and emailed to zooreach@zooreach.org. Avoid indents, all caps or any other fancy typesetting. You may send photos, illustrations, tables.

Articles which should contain citations should follow this guideline: a bibliography organized alphabetically and containing all details referred in the following style: surname, initial(s), year, title of the article, name of journal, volume, number, pages.

Editorial details: Articles will be edited without consultation unless previously requested by the authors in writing. Authors should inform editors if the article has been published or submitted elsewhere for publication.

Zoo Outreach Organisation Trust Committee and Sr. Staff Managing Trustee: Sally R. Walker Chairman Trustee: R. Nandini Executive Director Trustee: R.V. Sanjay Molur Finance Director Trustee: Latha G. Ravikumar Scientist: B.A. Daniel Researcher: R. Marimuthu Other staff: B. Ravichandran, R. Pravin Kumar, K. Geetha, S. Radhika, Arul Jagadish, K. Raveendran, S. Sarojamma ZOOs’ PRINT magazine is informal and newsy as opposed to a scientific publication. ZOOS’ PRINT magazine sometimes includes semi-scientific and technical articles which are reviewed only for factual errors, not peer-reviewed.

Address: Zoo Outreach Organisation Post Box 5912, 96, Kumudham Nagar, Vilankurichi Road Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641 035, India Phone: +91 422 2665298 Fax: +91 422 2665472 E-mail: zooreach@zooreach.org Website: www.zooreach.org, www.zoosprint.org

Announcements

The 2012 International Aquarium Congress (IAC) is now just 2 months away. Your host, the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, South Africa, looks forward to welcoming you to our shores from 9 to 14 September 2012.

Call for papers Prospective presenters are now invited to submit their abstracts for papers or posters to be presented at the 8th International Aquarium Congress (IAC) in Cape Town, South Africa from 9 to 14 September 2012.

The IAC, which takes place every four years, is the most important and prestigious event for the public aquarium industry. It has been held in several countries, but 2012 marks the first year that the congress will take place in the Southern Hemisphere and on African soil.

Click here to learn about our themes and submission guidelines: http://iac2012.co.za/ congress/call_for_papers/

Click here to view the provisional 2012 IAC programme: http://iac2012.co.za/congress/ preliminary_programme/congress_programme/ Click here to register now: http://iac2012.co.za/ congress/register/ Keynote speakers announced We are delighted to announce the three guest speakers who will be delivering keynote addresses during the opening ceremony of the 2012 IAC on 10 September 2012.

Dr Camille Parmesan was ranked by Reuters ISI Web of Science as the second most highly cited author in the field of climate change in 2010. Read more: http:// iac2012.co.za/blog/entry/ dr_camille_parmesan_to_speak_at_2012_international_ aquarium_congress/ Dr Elin Kelsey will deliver a keynote for the 2012 IAC that positions "hope" as an emerging narrative for aquariums around the world. According to Kelsey, "Aquariums have a unique ability to engender emotional connections between people, animals and environments." Read more: http://iac2012.co.za/blog/ entry/ dr_erin_kelsey_brings_hope_to_2012_international_aqu arium_congress/ Emeritus Professor George Branch is a world-renowned authority on the southern African marine environment.

His passionate and entertaining lectures inspire a huge appreciation and understanding of the marine world.

Read more: http://iac2012.co.za/blog/entry/ professor_george_branch_to_explore_two_oceans_at_2 012_international_aquariu/

Sponsor and exhibit At the 2012 IAC, you will have the opportunity to meet with key decision makers in exhibitory, conservation, sustainability and education fields. Top management personnel from aquariums from around the world are expected to attend.

We offer a unique opportunity to exhibit to leading industry professionals from around the world.

Click here to learn more about our exhibition options: http://iac2012.co.za/exhibit/ We also have a number of sponsorship and exposure opportunities to suit your budget and requirements, from top-end endorsements to green initiatives, as well as a host of advertising and advertorial opportunities.

Click here to learn more about our sponsorship opportunities: http://iac2012.co.za/sponsor/ About the Two Oceans Aquarium The southern tip of the African continent is the meeting place of two mighty and bountiful oceans, the Indian and the Atlantic. The Two Oceans Aquarium on the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town is ideally positioned to showcase the incredible diversity of marine life found in these two oceans. The Aquarium is one of the top tourist attractions in Cape Town and over 3000 living sea animals, many of which are endemic to southern African waters, can be seen in this spectacular underwater nature reserve.

Visit the Two Oceans Aquarium website for more information: http://www.aquarium.co.za/