Zoo hopes education can rescue Asia's rare species

[Guest guest]

Thursday, June 28, 2001 South China Morning Post

http://asia.scmp.com/ZZZY9UUBEOC.html

 

by LISA CREFFIELD in Sydney

 

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.