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WildCare Institute Update
April 2013
Created in 2004 to bring together conservation
initiatives under a single organization, the
Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute is dedicated to
creating a sustainable future for wildlife and
for people around the world. The Institute and its
12 centers take a holistic approach to troubled
ecosystems by addressing three key ingredients in
conservation success: wildlife management and
recovery, conservation science and support of the
human populations that coexist with wildlife.
Here’s the latest news on the Saint Louis Zoo
WildCare Institute Center activities.
Zoo Ranks Among Top Organizations Listed in
Analysis of Conservation Initiatives
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)
recently announced that AZA-accredited zoos and
aquariums contribute approximately $160 million a
year to wildlife conservation, supporting more than
2,650 conservation projects in 130 countries.
Of the top 10 mammals targeted by AZA zoos for
conservation support, the Saint Louis Zoo provides
significant support for eight of them in this order:
cheetahs, African elephants, African hunting dogs
(painted dog), chimpanzees, African lions, Asian
elephants, Grevy’s zebras and polar bears. Two of
the animals, the cheetah and Grevy’s zebra, are core
species for WildCare Institute centers; the Zoo offers
significant support for four others. Of the top 10 bird
species targeted by AZA zoos for conservation support,
our Zoo provides significant leadership and financial
support for two of the top three—Humboldt penguins
and ostriches.
Of the top five amphibian
species targeted by AZA
zoos for support, the
Saint Louis Zoo is the
acknowledged leader for
the #1 species: Ozark hellbenders. The Zoo has also
played a significant role in long-term support for
#2, the Puerto Rican crested toad. Among the top 10
organizations with which AZA zoos collaborate on
conservation projects, the Saint Louis Zoo plays a
significant role in providing leadership, core support and
staff talent for two of them: the International Elephant
Foundation and the Sahara Conservation Fund.
AZA’s latest Annual Report on Conservation Science
shows that AZA-accredited zoos and aquarium funded
an extensive range of projects, including support for
anti-poaching teams in range country national parks,
population assessments, support for local communities
to resolve human-animal conflict, habitat restoration,
campaigns against illegal bush meat hunting, training
for field veterinarians and reintroduction of species
into their natural habitats.
Center for Conservation
in Madagascar
The March issue of
St. Louis Magazine featured
Center Director and Primate
Curator Ingrid Porton in
a multi-page article on her
two decades of conservation work in Madagascar.
This center works under the auspices of the
Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group (MFG), which
is headquartered at the Zoo. The center’s robust
research program in Betampona Natural Reserve
has exposed the extraordinary number of plant and
animal species that inhabit Betampona and led to
greater understanding of the importance of
conserving wildlife in the area. Check out the
St. Louis Magazine article by clicking on these links:
http://www.stlmag.com/St-Louis-Magazine/
March-2013/Our-Lady-of-the-Lemurs/ Web exclusive
“Saga of the Lemur Releases”: http://www.stlmag.
com/St-Louis-Magazine/March-2013/Send-in-theLemurs-How-the-Zoo-Tried-to-Restock-the-Rainforest/ Web exclusive photos: http://www.stlmag.com/
St-Louis-Magazine/March-2013/Gallery-The-SaintLouis-Zoos-Lemur-Project/
On February 23, the Saint Louis Zoo and the MFG
hosted a booth at the Missouri Botanical Gardens’
celebration of the Garden’s 25 years in Madagascar.
The Zoo provided material on MFG’s botanical
activities, e.g., control of invasive guava, and on our
joint nursery at Parc Ivoloina.
Saharan Wildlife
Recovery Center
The center supports The Mali
Elephant Project (MEP). Despite
the escalating conflict in Mali,
MEP Leader Dr. Susan Canney
reports that a community approach
to elephant conservation continues
to provide hope for the species’ future. Equally impressive
is the project loyalty this approach seems to engender
among the 520 young men employed by the project,
all of whom are prime targets for recruitment to the
jihadist movement in Mali. To date all 520 young
Malian men in the project have remained with the
project. In 2012, MEP reported only six poaching
incidents. Thus far, MEP communities have managed
to stem the tide and are now poised to deploy a
specially trained, anti-poaching team, established
with the Mali government and supported by numerous
sponsors including SOS-Save Our Species.
Center for Conservation of
Large Carnivores in Africa
This center supports Action
for Cheetahs in Kenya (ACK),
which works to promote
cheetah conversion through
research, awareness and community participation.
ACK national surveys show that Kenya is home to
1,200 to 1,400 cheetahs with over 75 percent residing
on land outside protected areas. Cheetahs have been
extirpated from 25 percent of their historic Kenyan
range since 1990. The goal of this project is to promote
cheetah population sustainability in Kenya through
facilitating cheetahs’ coexistence with people.
The objectives are to: 1) Identify factors affecting
cheetah livestock predation and mitigate conflict;
2) Understand cheetah habitat selection and
3) Influence public and administrative changes
to positively affect cheetah conservation and
management protocols.
ACK works closely with local wildlife authorities and
land holders to develop policies and programs that
support wildlife conservation and human livelihoods
for the long-term development of sustainable human
and wildlife zones.
Camera trapping, game counts, fecal collection and
conflict investigation methods were used in the
Meibae region of the Samburu District to improve
understanding of cheetah adaptations to land-use
changes. Students worked with technical and academic
advisors to develop protocols for camera trapping and
scat collection. Game count data from 2012 will be
analyzed at the completion of the project in 2013.
Results from studies identify factors influencing
cheetah habitat selection and issues affecting livestock
predation will be used in educating community members
and wildlife managers and to support development of
problem-animal control measures.
Center for Conservation
in Forest Park
In April, the Forest Park Center
is working with Bridget Ebert,
naturalist instructor, and Forest
Park Forever on a project in the
restored riparian zones of the park. (A riparian zone is
the interface between land and a river or stream,
typically these zones are vegetated areas along both
sides of bodies of water.) This project involves classroom
visits to St. Louis City Public Schools—Soldan High
and Washington Elementary School—and several
student field trips to Forest Park when they will learn
the importance of the restored zones to migratory and
native wildlife. The students will assist in the installation
of multiple habitats in riparian zones.
Zoos and Aquariums
Committing to Conservation
Conference 2013
The WildCare Institute
is supporting the Zoos
and Aquariums Committing
to Conservation Conference,
to be held in Des Moines, IA,
by providing support for the
meeting’s T-shirt.