Zoo hopes education can rescue Asia's rare species

[Guest guest]

Zoo hopes education can rescue Asia's rare species

ENVIRONMENT Lisa Creffield in Sydney

 

06/28/2001

South China Morning Post

14

© Copyright 2001 South China Morning Post Publishers. All Rights

Reserved.

 

Melbourne Zoo is hoping to improve the plight of some of Southeast

Asia's most critically endangered species with new conservation and

education programmes.

 

Animals in the zoo's programmes include the golden coin turtle,

native to South China and Vietnam, the Philippines' crocodile, sail-fin

lizard and spotted deer, and Vietnam's Cat Bar langur monkey and

white-cheeked gibbon.

Zoo spokeswoman Judith Henke said yesterday that South American and

African animals were already well-looked after by European and American

zoos, and it made sense for Australia to focus on its region.

 

" It's easiest in terms of travel times and budgets, it's more

affordable for us, " she said.

 

Curator Chris Banks said countries such as the Philippines and

Vietnam often lacked resources to enforce legislation protecting

threatened species.

 

Mr Banks, who ran a successful captive breeding programme for Romer's

tree frog of Hong Kong, said the zoo's animals were not just pretty

faces but had a job to do. " They're the shopfront to represent their

wild cousins who don't have a voice, " he said.

 

Melbourne Zoo has one freshwater Philippines crocodile, of which

there are fewer than 100 adults left in the wild, as well the only

golden coin turtle in Australia.

 

Ms Henke described the turtle, which has yellow markings on top of

its head, orange feet and black markings on the side of its face, as a

" flagship for its species " .

 

" They are being imported [from Vietnam] into China by the tonnes for

food and traditional remedies, and it's wiping out entire populations, "

she said.

 

She said an important part of the zoo's work involved getting

Southeast Asians to appreciate their wildlife and understand that

exploitation had gone beyond the bounds of sustainability.

 

" In traditional societies it would always be the case that if farmers

in the rice paddies came across a turtle, they would take it home and

have it for dinner, which was okay because it was not commercial, " Ms

Henke said. " But now we have a large-scale, commercial trade in

endangered wildlife. "

 

Melbourne Zoo and wildlife authorities in China are co-producing a

Chinese-language handbook on enforcement of the Convention on

International Trade in Endangered Species. " Sometimes the requirements

are not totally adhered to, " Ms Henke said.

 

The zoo is also helping Saigon Zoo to set up a school, which will be

the only environmental education facility in Vietnam, according to Ms

Henke.

 

One of the main focuses of the Melbourne Zoo programme is primates,

and it has been providing money and staff for the endangered primates

rescue centre at Vietnam's Cuc Phong National Park. " They have got so

many absolutely magnificent species that are unfortunately never shown

anywhere else. Some of them are down to tiny, tiny numbers, " Ms Henke

said.

 

 

 

Folder Name: Asia Conservation Cat

Relevance Score on Scale of 100: 82

 

____________________

 

To review or revise your folder, visit http://www.djinteractive.com or

contact Dow Jones Customer Service by e-mail at custom.news

or by phone at 800-369-7466. (Outside the U.S. and Canada, call 609-452-1511

or contact your local sales representative.)

____________________

 

Copyright © 2001 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.