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Proceedings of the 67th Annual Conference Melbourne 7–11 October 2012 W AZ Pr A T es ec en hn ta ica tio l C ns on on gr ly es s Fighting Extinction Imprint Editor: Gerald Dick, WAZA Executive Office IUCN Conservation Centre Rue Mauverney 28 CH-1196 Gland Switzerland phone: +41 22 999 07 90 (WAZA Executive Office) Layout &Typesetting: [email protected] Cover photo: Skyline of Melbourne © Gerald Dick, WAZA Edition: © WAZA 2013 In order to make wise use of natural resources, it has been decided to offer the proceedings of WAZA Conferences online only. This saves paper resources and expensive postage costs, thus CO2 emissions. WAZA thanks for your understanding. www.waza.org (members’ area). Founding Member ISSN: 2073-6576 October 2012 | Melbourne 1 Fighting Extinction Proceedings of the 67th Annual Conference 7–11 October 2012 W AZ Pr A T es ec en hn ta ica tio l C ns on on gr ly es s Hosted by ZoosVictoria 2 Proceedings of 67th Annual Conference Editorial Dear WAZA Members and Friends! I would like to start with a big thank you to our host, Zoos Victoria! Additionally, I wish to congratulate at the occasion of their 150th Anniversary – a nice coincidence with WAZA’s 77th Anniversary. Our conference was a big success and the focus on “fighting extinction” covered a wide array of topics, ranging from conservation, education to collection sustainability and population management. The keynote presenters underlined the important role of zoos and aquariums and the responsibility of our community in the interaction with about 700 million visitors to zoo and aquarium facilities worldwide. Many positive examples and success stories were presented and the important link to the decade on biodiversity was underlined by many speakers. Fruitful discussions took place on the cooperation between associations, animal welfare and global species management plans. Welfare and population management as well as associated strategic developments have been identified as focus of work for the coming years. Finally, two resolutions, one on endorsing the new IUCN reintroduction guidelines and one on CO2 compensation while highlighting ocean acidification were adopted. Thanks again for this highlight in WAZA’s jubilee year and thanks to all members for the ongoing support and active involvement in the global zoo and aquarium community!! Gerald Dick Executive Director Legend: Conference Documents DOC Documents submitted prior to the Conference, like Committee reports, Association reports. INF Documents presented at the conference without previous documentation, made available after the Conference MEMPresentations of new members ADM Administrative sessions COM Committee meetings at the Conference WS Workshop results RESResolution Example Number of Annual Conference DOC 65.20 Type of document Number of document The contents of reports are within the responsibility of the authors. 3 October 2012 | Melbourne Table of Contents Welcome Address by the Host...................................... 5 Welcome Address by the Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Victoria, Australia......................................................... 7 Welcome to Our Region...............................................9 Welcome Address by the WAZA President...............................................11 Special Session on Population Management and Ocean Conservation..................................... 73 Keynote Addresses............................ 13 List of Participants............................. 83 The Environmental Crisis – A Question of Leadership........................................... 14 A New Model for Conservation....................................17 WAZA Congress Papers Abstracts........ 19 Received Full WAZA Congress Contributions...................... 29 Love your Locals........................................................ 30 Release to the Wild of Charismatic Mega Fauna: the Risks and Successes............................................. 33 Current Conservation Efforts Supported by the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums............. 37 Breeding and reintroduction of Ural owls (Strix uralensis)........................................ 39 The Big C – A Discussion on the Allocation of Scarce Resources for Zoo and Aquarium Conservations......... 40 Conservation of Swedish Amphibians – A Success Story?......................................................... 43 Zoos FIGHTING extinction & Zoos FACILITATING extinction................................ 45 Facts and Figures from The Granby Zoo: Increasing Revenues as a Major Player in Social Economy...................................................... 47 Conservation Efforts for the Endangered Ozark Hellbender................................... 52 Managing Toucans and Flamingos at the Parque das Aves, Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná State, Brazil............. 54 Panama’s Noah’s Ark.................................................. 56 Conservation Medicine: An Approach to Fight the Extinction of All Species.......................... 58 Temaikèn’s Natural Reserve in Misiones, Argentina: Join Us!..................................................... 62 Conserving Madagascar’s Biodiversity, Building Local Capacity and Raising Environmental Awareness of Youth: The cooperative work of zoos for Madagascar – The Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group............................................... 64 Unraveling a Mystery!................................................66 Community Conservation – A Peri‑Urban Case Study in Fighting Extinction...........68 Future Proofing Programs – an Australasian approach............................................74 Mission of Mermaids (film screening) and Introduction to Ocean Acidification............................ 79 58 Proceedings of 67th Annual Conference Conservation Medicine: An Approach to Fight the Extinction of All Species Sharon L Deem, Saint Louis Zoo, Institute for Conservation Medicine and Eric Miller, Saint Louis Zoo, Director WildCare Institute Abstract Introduction In 2011 the Saint Louis Zoo launched the Institute for Conservation Medicine (ICM) to further the Zoo’s mission to conserve animals and their habitats. The ICM takes a holistic approach to research on wildlife, public health, and sustainable ecosystems to ensure healthy animals and healthy people. This research includes 1) studies on diseases of conservation concern; 2) health care for the sustainability of biodiversity; 3) zoo animals as sentinels of disease in urban environments; 4) disease surveillance at the interface of wildlife, domestic animals and humans; 5) comparative medicine; and 6) the exploration of the diversity of life. In this paper we describe the significance of these roles and provide concrete examples of zoos working in conservation medicine to show how this approach helps to fight the extinction of all species. It is estimated that since 1970 global population sizes of wildlife species have decreased by 30% (World Wildlife Fund, 2010). If one looks at decline by animal taxa, the numbers threatened with extinction are 12% of birds, 21% of mammals, 32% of amphibians, and 27% of reef‑building corals (Marton‑Lèfevre, 2010). Even though the number of species endangered with extinction grows daily, outside the conservation community, little time, money, or energy has been directed towards the conservation of biodiversity. However, within the conservation community, accredited zoological institutions are now As accredited zoos have become increasingly appreciated for their conservation initiatives, it has also become evident that the leadership role of zoos in species’ conservation was concurrent with advancements in health care that is important for population viability (e.g., fitness and reproductive success). Previously overlooked as instrumental in the role of zoos in the conservation of species, veterinary sciences are now seen as imperative for conservation efforts and the long‑term survival of populations both in zoo collections and for free‑living populations (Miller, 1992; Deem, 2007). In fact, one of the key reasons that zoos are successful fully recognized as organizations conservation organizations is related dedicated to the conservation of anito the veterinary care provided both mal species. (In this paper, the word animals in our collections, as well accredited will refer to the 218 zoos as field based health studies that accredited by the Association of improve conservation efforts and Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since the provide comparative health data authors are most familiar with AZA.) between free‑living and collection Unlike many of the other conservapopulations. Today, with the push tion organizations, zoos are the for AZA‑accredited zoos to dedicate “species people” and are dedicated to 3% of their revenue to conservathe long‑term conservation of wildlife tion (and other organizations making species. For example, of the 68 spesimilar commitments) the time is cies whose IUCN threat level was reright for these zoos to include conduced, 17 (25%) had captive breeding servation medicine initiatives in their at zoological institutions play a role in “toolbox” if we are to strive for the the threat level reductions (Conde et conservation of all species. al., 2011). So what is conservation medicine? This approach was first coined in the 1990s and may be defined as a trans‑disciplinary field that studies the relationship between human, animal, and ecosystem health to ensure the conservation of biodiversity, including Homo sapiens (Koch, 1996; Deem et al., 2000; Aguirre et al., 2002). Although there are a number of definitions for conservation medicine the heart of the approach is 59 October 2012 | Melbourne the realization that the health of environments, and animals and people within, are intimately related and will require multiple disciplines to better understand and manage the conservation and disease challenges that impact each. The Saint Louis Zoo launched the Institute for Conservation Medicine (ICM) in 2011 to further advance our role in conservation medicine. The establishment of this new Institute at the Saint Louis Zoo was a natural progression that built on the decades of conservation medicine performed by zoo personnel both at the zoo and globally through the WildCare Institute and other zoo funded and/ or led global conservation and health projects. For example, the zoo has on‑going projects that include research and biomedical surveys of lemurs in Madagascar, avian health studies in the Galapagos Islands, and studies of Humboldt penguins in Punta San Juan, Peru. Since the start of the ICM, we have strengthened long held partnerships while building new ones with other health and / or conservation organizations as we develop the Midwest Consortium of Conservation Medicine. The mission of the ICM is to take a holistic approach to research on wildlife, public health, and sustainable ecosystems to ensure healthy animals and healthy people. In this paper we discuss the six conservation medicine roles identified by the ICM that accredited zoos should perform and that are essential for the conservation of the wildlife species, as well as Homo sapiens which are dependent on biodiversity for survival (Fig 1). Studies on diseases of conservation concern Disease in wildlife species have now been documented to impact species’ survival with both population extirpations and even species extinctions (Harvell et al., 1999; Daszak et al., 2000; Pedersen et al., 2007; Palacios et al., 2011). Many of the infectious diseases that threaten the long‑term survival of wildlife species, including fibropapillomatosis in sea turtles, chytridiomycosis in amphibians, canine distemper in a number of carnivores, and Ebola virus in humans and animals (as reviewed in Daszak et al. 2000; Deem et al. 2001; Kuiken et al. 2005) are studied extensively by zoological health professionals. Disease‑related conservation challenges are not solely linked to infectious diseases as evident from the near extinction of three Gyps spp. in India associated with the use of an anti‑inflammatory in livestock (Oaks et al., 2004). Whether infectious or non‑infectious, these diseases can have impacts that occur on multiple scales, affecting individuals (fitness costs), populations (population size and connection), communities (changes in species composition), and ecosystems (structure, function, and resilience) (Deem et al. 2008). The epidemiology, pathology, and clinical implications of many of these significant disease challenges are studied extensively by zoo health professionals, both in situ and ex situ (for examples see Munson et al., 1999; Rideout et al., 2012). Six roles of zoos in conservation medicine for the advancement of the conservation of all species (Fig 1) Figure 1: Role of Zoos in Conservation Medicine Health care for the sustainability of biodiversity Accomplishments by accredited zoos that have resulted in bringing species back from the brink of extinction were only possible through advances in veterinary care, including preventive and therapeutic medicine to minimize infectious and non‑infectious diseases. Similar to public health programs (e.g., vaccination and proper nutrition) that were instrumental for the human population to grow beyond 7 billion individuals, these veterinary health care methods are essential for species propagation. Now as wild spaces become less so and free‑living wildlife are often little more than species placed in “large zoos” these veterinary advancements, many of which are first developed with zoo collection animals, are being used for the long term survival of populations in the “wild” (Deem, 2007). Lastly, a number of reintroduction programs such as those for black‑footed ferrets, red wolves and freshwater mussels have resulted in species propagated at AZA accredited institutions to be placed back in the wild (www.aza. org/reintroduction‑programs/). These programs were successful only when health challenges were appropriately addressed within the reintroduction plans in conjunction with other important components. 60 Zoo animals as sentinels of disease in urban environments Often located in urban settings, zoos with diverse species collections may serve as sentinels of emerging diseases. The native and non‑native species housed at zoological collections vary in susceptibilities to pathogens. The most recent and well‑known example of zoo animals serving as sentinels was the detection of West Nile Virus at a zoo in New York State, alerting human and animal health communities to the arrival of this vector‑borne pathogen to the New World (Lanciotti, 1999; Ludwig et al., 2002). The network of accredited zoological parks in America and Europe now have surveillance programs for zoonotic pathogens such as avian influenza, tuberculosis, and WNV, linking zoos and effectively covering continents (Travis et al., 2002; Chosy et al., 2007). Additionally, many zoos in North America have surveillance programs for urban wildlife on and near zoo grounds for zoonotic pathogens such as rabies virus and Bayliascaris procyonis. Lastly, with the sophisticated record keeping capabilities at these institutions along with the careful pathologic evaluations of deaths of zoo animals, the ability to better understand trends in potential non‑infectious health concerns shared by animals and humans (e.g., cancer and toxins) are also explored at zoological institutions. The pathology staff at many of these zoos have close ties with human medical facilities and thus allow for the sharing of comparative findings between the zoo animals and human patients presenting to the hospital (see also comparative medicine section). Proceedings of 67th Annual Conference Disease surveillance at the interface of wildlife, domestic animals and humans Exploration of the diversity of life In biodiversity conservation much emphasis is given to the long term surIn 2001, it was estimated that bevival of vertebrate species with lesser tween all the zoos accredited by AZA emphasis on invertebrate conservaand World Association of Zoos and tion, and even less on the conservation Aquariums (WAZA) there were apof micro‑organisms. However, species proximately 1,100 field based projects are metagenomic in that they are in 80 countries, with a combined composed of their own gene compleeffort that allows for a reach of wild ments and those of all their associated populations for disease surveillance microbes. Each species, in fact each around the globe (Dick and Gusset, individual is known to have unique 2010). These zoo‑funded and zoo‑led “microbiomes”. For example in one in situ conservation projects span the study of the bacterial 16S ribosomal globe, occurring in both biodiversity RNA gene sequences from a variety and pandemic pathogen hotpots of zoological animals it was demon(Deem et al., 2011). The often long strated that host diet and phylogeny term commitments to field conboth influence bacterial diversity (Ley servation and research from these et al., 2008). Accredited zoos with their programs allows zoo staff to perform collections of diverse species and their health surveillance studies on species outreach across the globe in which of conservation interest and sympathey lead studies on free‑living wildlife tric species. These studies invariably populations can and must contribute also have a human health component to the exploration of the diversity of as many of the pathogens of interest life at the microbial level. When we are zoonotic and may spillover from lose one vertebrate species to extincwild populations to domestic animals tion we must also realize the great loss and / or humans which share the in microbial biodiversity. habitat (Bronson et al., 2008; Deem et al., 2004; Junge et al., 2011). Comparative medicine Comparative medicine is a long established field within both the veterinary and medical professions which is based on comparison and contrasts of the anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology of diseases between humans and other species. For example, advances in human medicine are largely due to comparative studies using animal models. Today there is growing application of human studies that help with our understanding of diseases of animals (e.g., cancers, arthritis) and the use of sentinel animals and humans for the health of the other (Rabinowitz and Conti, 2010). The role zoos play in the field of comparative medicine has been underutilized. However, zoos and the animals for which they care are now largely included in comparative medicine studies concurrent with advances in veterinary services that are provided to the diverse taxa of animals during recent decades (Natterson‑Horowitz and Bowers, 2012). Conclusions: importance of conservation medicine practiced by zoo staff to help with the conservation of all species In this paper we presented the six roles identified by the ICM of what accredited zoos can and must perform in the area of conservation medicine as they continue to serve as leaders in the conservation of wildlife species. Throughout all these roles it must also be appreciated that our ability to serve as educators of conservation issues is one of the key roles of accredited zoos in today’s society. Education of our visitors must move towards one that also embraces the conservation medicine approach and informs the public of the interconnected nature of the health of animals and humans in the context of continually changing ecosystems. 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