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Indianapolis Zoo Mission Statement 1200 W. Washington St. P.O. Box 22309 Indianapolis, IN 46222.0309 The Indianapolis Zoo empowers people and communities, both locally and globally, to advance animal conservation. 317.630.2001 ph NEWSRELEASE FORIMMEDIATERELEASE March7,2017 ZooGrantsProgramHelpsSpeciesWorldwide AdozenglobalwildlifeorganizationsuseZoofundingtosavespecies INDIANAPOLIS—OneofthekeystonesoftheIndianapolisZoo’sconservationmissionisto supporteffortstopreservewildthingsandwildplacesacrosstheplanet.Whetherinthelocal communityorthousandsofmilesaway,theZoo’sgrantprogramassistswitheffortsofmany differentorganizationsandscientistswhoseworkpreservesthreatenedandendangered speciesforfuturegenerations. MediaContacts JudyPalermo PRSeniorManager 317-630-2010 [email protected] CarlaKnapp PRSpecialist 317-630-3257 [email protected] MelanieLaurendine ConservationPRSpecialist 317-630-3265 [email protected] Overtheyears,animalsfromthesavannatotheseahavebenefittedfromtheZoo’s involvementintheseinitiatives,includingelephants,tigers,macawsandmanymore.2017 fundingrecipientsincludesomeoftheZoo’slong-standingconservationpartnersaswellas severalorganizationsandprojectsthatarenewtotheZoo. 2017ConservationInitiatives: AmurTigerConservationinLazovskyDistrictinPrimorskyKrai,Russia AraProject AssociationofZoosandAquariums:SAFE CheetahConservationFund DianFosseyGorillaFundInternational GoualougoTriangleApeProject IndianaNationalHeritageDataCenter InternationalElephantFoundation KutaiNationalParkOrangutanFieldConservation SumatranOrangutanConservationProject TarangireElephantProject UniversityofMinnesota WorldParrotTrust AmurTigerConservationinLazovskyDistrictinPrimorskyKrai,Russia Theclose-upencounterspossibleattheZoo'sTigerForestexhibitaretheenvyofourAmur tigerconservationpartner,Dr.LindaKerley,asshehashadonlyahandfulofopportunitiesto besoclosetotigers.FortheAmurtigersthatsheandtheothermembersoftheAmurTiger ConservationProject(ATCP)studyinLazovskyPreserveinPrimorskyKrai,theIndianapolis Zoo'ssupportpaidforvitallyimportanttrackingcamerasthatgiveDr.Kerleyalongdistance insightintothelivesofthelastfewremainingwildAmurtigersonEarth. Beyondconfirmingtigersintheparkandobservingnewlittersofcubs,cameratrapsarealso instrumentalinestablishingadeterrentprogramforpoacherscalled"foresteyes"thatuses hiddensurveillancecameratorecordillegalactivityinprotectedtigerhabitat. AraProject InIndianapolis,guestsaresurroundedbythebeautyofbirdsinFlightsofFancy,andtheZoois ensuringapositivefutureforwildbirdstoo! TheAraProject—namedforthegenusofmacaws—isdedicatedtosavingthetwonative speciesofmacawsinCostaRica:thewell-knownScarletmacawandtheendangeredGreat Greenmacaw.Theprojecthelpsprotecttheseincrediblebirdsfromthreatslikethewildbird trade,huntingandhabitatlossthroughcaptivebreedingprogramsandreintroducingoffspring intothewild. In2015,theIndianapolisZoofirstjoinedintheseefforts,givingtheprojectthemeansto constructadditionalbreedingaviaries,inadditiontothefabricationandinstallationofnest boxesforbirdsthathavebeenreleased. AssociationofZoosandAquariums:SAFE AspartoftheAssociationofZoosandAquariums,theZoohasjoinedforcesinthenew program,SAFE:SavingAnimalsFromExtinction.SAFEcombinestheeffortsofzoosand aquariumsacrossthecountrytosupportandspreadthewordaboutanimalconservation. Theprogramfocuseson10signaturespeciesoranimalgroups:westernpondturtle,cheetah, sharksandrays,vaquita,Africanpenguin,gorilla,Asianelephant,blackrhinoceros,seaturtle andwhoopingcrane. CheetahConservationFund TheCheetahConservationFundinNamibiawasfoundedbyDr.LaurieMarkerwhoconsulted fortheZooonthe2010Cheetah:TheRaceforSurvivalexhibitandwasalsoatwo-timefinalist fortheIndianapolisPrize.CCFbenefitsfromvisitordonationsfortheRace-A-Cheetah interactiveaswellasfromsomeonewhoknowsandadmiressuperiorspeedwhenheseesit —2011NASCARSprintCupChampionandHoosierTonyStewart,whosupportseducational programmingattheIndianapolisZoo. Race-A-CheetahfundsalsohelpCCFraisekangalshepherds.CCFstafferstraintheselargedogs toguardlivestockforthefarmersandranchersinNamibia.Thedogsprotectthesheepand goatsfromthecheetahs,whooccasionallyattackdomesticanimals.Inturn,thehumansdon’t havetokillthecheetahstoprotecttheirpropertyandlivelihood.TheZooalsofeatures seasonalkangalguardiandogchatstohelpeducateguestsaboutthisimportantinitiative. DianFosseyGorillaFundInternational TheIndianapolisZoosupportstheDianFosseyGorillaFundInternational.Fosseywasatrue conservationherowhofoughttopreserveandprotectmountaingorillas.Thoughshewas killedin1985,herlegacylivesonasthefundworkswithpeopleinAfricawhosharethesame ecosystemwithgorillas.Thefundprovidesconservationeducationtothecommunitiesinan efforttoreducethreat,seekalternativeresourcesandencourageanti-poachingefforts.Mike Crowther,theZoo'spresidentandCEO,servesontheboardoftrusteesoftheDianFossey GorillaFundInternational.In2016,actorSigourneyWeaver—whohasservedasTheFossey Fund'sHonoraryChairsinceherstarringrolein"GorillasintheMist"—receivedtheJane AlexanderGlobalWildlifeAmbassadorAwardforherworkadvocatingfortheendangered apes. GoualougoTriangleApeProject TheIndianapolisZoosupportstheongoinggoaloftheGoualougoTriangleApeProject—to improvetheconservationoutlookoftheCongoBasin'schimpanzeesandgorillasthroughlongtermappliedresearch,enhancedprotectionofhabitat,andstrengtheningoflocalcapacity. TheCongoBasinhaslongbeenconsideredastrongholdforgorillaconservation,butthese Africanapesliveinarapidlychanginglandscape.GTAP'seffortscombineappliedconservation researchofthegorillasandchimpanzeeswhosepopulationsoverlapareasofactivelogging withdataoftheindustrytodefinethecharacteristicsnecessaryfor"highconservationvalue" forests. Theprojectconductshealthmonitoringandassessesrisksofdiseasetransmission,and advancesprofessionaldevelopmentinlocaleducationaloutreach. IndianaNationalHeritageDataCenter TheIndianaNaturalHeritageDataCenter’smissionistoidentifyandprotectIndiana’sunique naturalareasandtherarestspecies.Todothis,theorganizationcollectsinformationto systematicallyrankelementsofdiversitythataremeaningfulonbothanationaland internationalscope. Theprojectlistsstoneflies—animportantwaterqualityindicatorspecies—fromIndianaand assignsHeritagestateranks,additionallyincreasingtheknowledgebaseofmacroinvertebrates likemayfliesanddragonflies. InternationalElephantFoundation TheInternationalElephantFoundationiscomposedofagroupofAZAzoosandotherelephant facilitieswhoseresidentelephantsarewildlifeambassadorshelpingtoeducatethepublicand raisevaluablesupportdollarsforelephantconservation. Dr.RobShumaker,ExecutiveVicePresidentandZooDirector,servesontheIEFboardof directors. KutaiNationalParkOrangutanFieldConservation TheZoosupportstheKutaiOrangutanProjectintheKutaiNationalParkinEastKalimantan, Borneo.Theprojectstartedin2009inanefforttoprotecttheseriouslyendangeredorangutan populationandrecoverthecriticalhabitatthathasbeenlargelydestroyed.Theprojectisled byDr.AnneRusson,whohasstudiedorangutansformorethan30years.TheKutaiOrangutan ProjectsiterunsalongthesouthsideoftheSangataRiverandinland.Thisisanimportantsite becauseitisvulnerableduetoexcessiveclearingandpeoplemovingtotheland.Sofar,the projecthasfoundmorethantwo-dozenorangutansinthisarea.TheProjectsaysthe orangutansareallhealthyandreproducingnormally.TheIndianapolisZoosupportsbothfield researchofthisgroupofapesaswellasprovidingfundsforareforestationinitiativetosustain healthyhabitatforgenerationstocome. SumatranOrangutanConservationProject TheSumatranOrangutanConservationProgram(SOCP)workstoconserveviablepopulations ofcriticallyendangeredSumatranorangutansthroughhabitatprotection,reintroductionof apesfromthepettrade,aswellasscientificresearchandeducation. Since2015,theZoohasprovidedfundingfortheSikundurMonitoringPost,locatedwithinthe GunungLeuserNationalParkandlargerLeuserEcosystemNationalStrategicArea. ThePostfocusesonbehavioralresearch,inadditiontomonitoringandprotectingthehabitat ofthisvitalarea. TarangireElephantProject Since2007,theIndianapolisZoohasprovidedannualsupportfortheTarangireElephant ProjectandDr.CharlesFoley’seffortstoconserveelephantsandtheirhabitat.Charles,Lara andtheirtwoyoungdaughtersfollowthelivesofmorethan1,000elephantswithin32family groups. OneoftheTarangireElephantProject'smajorpurposesistoprotectmigrationcorridorsand dispersalareas—areasoutsidethenationalparkwhereelephantsmoveseasonally.These protectedgrasslandsareacriticalfoodsourceforwildlife,aswellasforthelocalcommunity's livestock.Freeaccesstotheseareasforallofthespeciesinthenationalparkisessentialfor theircontinuedconservation. DespitepoachinginotherpartsofAfrica,CharlessaidtheTarangireelephantscontinueto thrive,withthelocalpopulationestimatedatabout4,200. In2016,fundsalsosupportedthestartofanewprogram—theRuahaKataviCorridor expansion.Focusedeffortsinfluencewhatmaybenotonlythelongestelephantcorridorin EastAfrica,butoneofthelongestmigrationpathsintheworld. UniversityofMinnesota MooseareaculturallyimportantspeciestotheGrandPortageBandofLakeSuperior Chippewa.ResearchersattheUniversityofMinnesotamonitorcalfsurvivalinresponseto currentpredatorcontrolstrategiestobuildoncurrentknowledgeofpopulationhealth. Researchconductedbetween2013and2015revealedannualdifferencesinneonatalblood parameters,variationsofcolostraluptakeandtheeffectofwolfandbearpredation.The projectevaluatesneonatalhealthassociatedwithmaternalhealth,providingresource managerstheopportunitytofindoptimalstrategiesforsustainingthespecieslongterm. Otherpopulationsofmoosealongthesouthernedgeoftheirrangeareexperiencingdeclines aswell,sothisworkwillbeinformativetootherresearchprojects. WorldParrotTrust Despitethecaptureofblue-throatedmacawsceasingintheearly1990s,wildpopulationsof thecriticallyendangeredspeciesremainverylow.Becauseofthis,theWorldParrotTrusthas workedtoprotectthebirds,understandtheirecologyandcreatesuccessfulreproductive recoveryprogramssince2001. Theprojectfocusesonprotectingwildnestsfrompredatorstoensureahigherpercentageof youngbirdsfledge,conductinghabitatstudies,monitoringbreedingpairsandinstalling artificialnestboxestoeliminatesomeofthethreatsaffectingwildpopulations.Whilebuilding acaptivebreedingprogrambasedinBolivia,theprojectisalsodedicatedtoproviding communityeducationopportunitiestofurtherconservationaswell. TheIndianapolisZoo'ssupportdirectlyaidsthespeciesbyprovidingfundstopurchasecamera trapsusedfornestmonitoring. ### AbouttheIndianapolisZoo TheIndianapolisZooempowerspeopleandcommunities,bothlocallyandglobally,toadvance animalconservation.LocatedinWhiteRiverStateParkdowntown,theIndianapolisZoois accreditedbytheAssociationofZoosandAquariumsandtheAmericanAllianceofMuseumsas azoo,aquariumandbotanicalgarden.VisitIndianapolisZoo.com