2016 Annual Report for Action for the Wild

ANNUAL REPORT 2016 © Carol Bennetto

© Danny Gentry

© Centre de Rehabilitation des Primates de Lwiro

ANNUAL REPORT 2016

Funding to Colchester Zoo’s Action For The Wild Projects £197

£376

£5448

£200,000

£5,000

£4972 £5,000

£ £5,000

donated to

£5,000

£5,000

£5,000 £862 £373

£4,900

£

Over £47,000 to other in-situ projects

VulPro

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Orangutan Appeal UK

Orangutan Foundation

Elephant EAZA TAG Research Fund

International Otter Survival Foundation

Elephant Orphanage Project

Free the Bears

Save the Rhinos International

Centre de Rehabilitation des Primates de Lwiro

Hornbill Research Foundation

Red Panda Network Forest Sponsorship Scheme

Big Cat Conservation Projects

N/a’an ku sê Carnivore Research

Orangutan Appeal uk

9 orangutans have now been established in the wild

2 females

were released in May 2016 and are intensively followed

The TABIN POST RELEASE MONITORING PROJECT (PRMP) is an intensive orangutan monitoring and rehabilitation programme.

ACTION FOR THE WILD donated ÂŁ5,000 in 2016.

In 2016, the 2 released orphans were followed nest-to-nest to record their behaviour. The collected data has been used to establish why some orangutans struggle more than others in adapting to the wild.

For decades, there has been no effective post-release data. This research aims to prove that rehabilitation and reintroduction can aid the future conservation of orangutans.

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VULPRO is the only organisation in South Africa undertaking concise and continuous monitoring of around 50% of the world’s cape vulture colonies.

ACTION FOR THE WILD donated ÂŁ5,000 in 2016.

In 2016, four cape vulture breeding colonies were monitored as part of the annual population assessment looking for breeding pairs.

1,243 pairs

were recorded in 2016 4

The health of the colonies is improving from the 1,116 breeding pairs recorded at the same sites in 2015.

Power lines remain the biggest cause for the vulture declines in the north west; however,

poisoning is on the increase throughout southern Africa.

VulPro

Elephant EAZA tag Research Fund

Approximately

100 elephants mostly between the age of

3 months & 15 years have died from the virus since its discovery.

ELEPHANT HERPES VIRUS is a devastating infectious disease posing a significant threat to the long term conservation of the Asian elephant.

In 2016, ACTION FOR THE WILD donated £862.30 to help conduct three PhD research projects to better understand and combat this virus through EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria).

Back in 2015, research was initiated to understand why some elephants can resist the virus while others are more susceptible.

• Working towards a better epidemiological understanding of the virus and to validate a molecular test for the purpose of regular monitoring.

Research also included: • Transmission in elephant herds and investigating the possibility of a vaccine.

These projects will continue into 2017.

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Colchester Zoo and Action for the Wild purchased land to form the UmPhafa Private Nature Reserve in 2005.

We have since been working to rehabilitate the land and recreate the historical animal populations on the reserve.

In 2016, ACTION FOR THE WILD donated £200,000 to ensure the continued running of the reserve, from employing field rangers and reserve management staff, to releasing additional wildlife species and ensuring their continued protection.

KEY EVENTS ON THE RESERVE • Throughout 2016, the reserve management team have continued with rock packing of the perimeter fence in preparation for predator release. We have also housed a family group of wild dogs in our boma, with 3 males moving to Botswana and 2 females to the Greater Kruger National Park area.

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• Our impala have had a successful breeding year, with over 40 impala lambs born at the end of the year.

The impala population also received a boost this year with the release of 45 new individuals.

• Construction and infrastructure work on the reserve have continued with the completed renovations of the accommodation, maintenance and staff areas.

• The intern scheme continues to develop.

43 interns

visited the reserve in 2016, staying for a total of

49 months

In 2017, we will continue with our work to promote and protect the wildlife populations on UmPhafa and also look forward to some exciting developments with our internship scheme.

We will see the second university undertake a bulk booking of placements on the reserve in April to help us research and further our understanding of the flora and fauna on the reserve.

2016 GAME COUNT FIGURES OF VISIBLE SPECIES 6 White Rhino 27 Giraffe 55 Red Hartebeest 188 Impala 200 Blesbok 28 Common Reedbuck 15 Mountain Reedbuck 251 Zebra 76 Waterbuck

22 Nyala 358 Kudu 17 Duiker 135 Warthog 201 Blue Wildebeest 18 Eland 6 Ostrich 2 Steenbok 2 Bushbuck 7

THE ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE PROJECT (EOP) is working to rescue, rehabilitate and release orphaned elephants as a direct result of poaching.

In 2016, ACTION FOR THE WILD donated £5,000 to help provide food and medical treatment for the orphans.

Elephant Orphanage Project

The ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE PROJECT has two camps:

Lilayi Elephant Nursery

Kafue Release Facility

where keepers provide constant care and feeding for

for those that need less time with humans, preparing them for release back into the wild.

3 young orphans

At Kafue 3

are about to begin weaning

7

are milk-reared, dependant juveniles

2

are independant sub-adults 8

© Elephant Orphanage Project

Save the Rhinos International

Unfortunately, as in the rest of South Africa, rhino poaching continues at incredibly high levels.

Hluhluwe-iMfolozi National Park is an important stronghold for black and white rhinoceros; however, it is facing increasing threats of rhino poaching.

In 2016, ACTION FOR THE WILD donated £5,448.23

Action for the Wild’s 2016 donation helped support the tracker dog units and provide equipment to the field rangers to continue

protecting and monitoring the rhinos of the park.

Better equipment allows field rangers to camp in harder to reach areas of the reserve in order to cover areas that poachers are exploiting.

The tracker dogs are a vital addition for assisting in tracking down poachers. © Dirk Swart

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ORANGUTAN FOUNDATION is working to save orangutans by protecting their tropical forest habitat, working with local communities, and promoting research and education.

In 2016, ACTION FOR THE WILD donated £5,000 for a veterinarian’s salary and associated translocation costs necessary to perform a number of orangutan rescues.

25 orangutan rescues

and translocations took place throughout 2016.

This high number is thought to be a result of rapid urban expansion.

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Sadly, orangutans continue to be stranded in palm oil plantations and on community land. The number is likely to continue rising and they risk injury or death if they are not rescued in time.

Orangutan Foundation

Five orangutan release camps operate at Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, giving additional safe habitat to orangutans rescued from threatened areas.

© Orangutan Foundation

International Otter Survival Foundation

Action for the Wild’s 2016 donations helped to enable

33 participants to attend an otter workshop in China, one of the most important markets for otter fur. © Carol Bennetto

The INTERNATIONAL OTTER SURVIVAL FOUNDATION is working to provide a series of workshops to train people in otter field techniques, public awareness programmes, law enforcement and conservation issues.

In 2016, ACTION FOR THE WILD donated £4,900 to the INTERNATIONAL OTTER SURVIVAL FOUNDATION

The workshop resulted in increased awareness, with the aim of forming a network of like-minded individuals to help reduce trade and encourage cross-border cooperation for the interception and prosecution of smugglers.

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Free the Bears

FREE THE BEARS is working to protect, preserve and enrich the lives of bears throughout the world by offering a safe sanctuary for bears rescued from the illegal wildlife trade.

In 2016, ACTION FOR THE WILD donated ÂŁ5,000 to FREE THE BEARS to purchase 1 hectare of land to build a new world class bear sanctuary in Laos.

Free the Bears currently houses

38 bears in a sanctuary originally designed for 25. The need for a new sanctuary for the increasing number of rescued bears in Laos is paramount.

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In September 2016, the masterplan for the sanctuary was approved. Work is now underway on the first enclosures with the aim to move at least one group of bears by April 2017. This will free up vital space for the remaining bears at the existing site.

Free the bears has also presented a plan to phase out bear bile farming in Laos by 2020, which could mean upwards of 150 bears needing a new home in the future.

Š Free the Bears

Centre de Rehabilitation des Primates de Lwiro

At the end of 2016, the CRPL was home to

73 Chimpanzees and 92 monkeys of which 10 chimps and 17 monkeys were rescued during 2016 alone. © Centre de Rehabilitation des Primates de Lwiro

The CENTRE DE REHABILITATION DES PRIMATES DE LWIRO (CRPL) works to care for and rehabilitate orphaned primates.

In 2016, ACTION FOR THE WILD donated £4,972 to provide all animals in the care of the CRPL with a high standard of nutrition and medical care.

Action for the Wild’s donation provided fresh fruit and vegetables for the primates plus medicines for their healthcare over 3 months.

By assisting with the running costs, CRPL can continue to receive confiscated animals and contribute to Congolese law in protecting these primates from poaching and the pet trade.

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The RED PANDA NETWORK is committed to the conservation of wild red pandas and their habitat through the education and empowerment of local communities.

In 2016, ACTION FOR THE WILD first teamed up with other European Zoos to support a forest guardian scheme.

A forest guardian monitors and protects red panda habitats, as well as educates communities on the importance of the species.

European zoos have helped fund 8 of the 54 forest guardians in 2016.

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Free the Bears Red Panda Network Forest Guardian Sponsorship Scheme

This support benefits not only the red pandas, but provides employment and development within the local community, giving them a sense of pride in protecting this endangered species. Š Danny Gentry

N/a’an ku sê Large Carnivore Conservation Research Project

The project aims to work with local farmers and land owners to not only conserve viable large carnivore populations in current ranges, but to also engage farmers with practical, cost-effective and non-lethal tools to manage carnivores. © N/a’an ku sê

N/a’an ku sê LARGE CARNIVORE CONSERVATION RESEARCH PROJECT responds to widespread human-carnivore conflict across Namibian farmland.

In 2016, ACTION FOR THE WILD donated £5,000 to purchase GPS collars, camera traps and research equipment to monitor carnivores.

To date, N/a’an ku sê has responded to 698

human-carnivore conflict calls from land owners, attended 137 carnivore

Throughout 2016, over 40 conflict calls were received and 12 carnivores collared.

conflict situations and collared 84 carnivores.

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The HORNBILL RESEARCH FOUNDATION, set up in 1978, conducts biological research on wild hornbills.

In 2016, ACTION FOR THE WILD donated £373.33 to sponsor 3 family groups of hornbills.

Action for the Wild’s donation helped sponsor family groups of rhinoceros, helmeted and white-crowned hornbills.

In southern and western Thailand, villagers used to make extra money by selling hornbill chicks at markets.

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© Hornbill Research Foundation

Nowadays, these same villagers are funded to collect hornbill biological data from the very nests they poached. This contributes to raising awareness and

involves the local communities in active conservation work.

Free theResearch Bears The Hornbill Foundation

Data collected allows researchers to monitor the hornbill populations.

Combining information from this data provides an overall picture of the behaviour and ecology of the hornbills, and will hopefully assist in determining indicators of reproductive success and high survival rates.

Fisher’s Estuarine Moth Breeding Programme

The Fisher’s Estuarine Moth is a rare and highly threatened species primarily found on Skipper’s Island off the north Essex Coast.

ACTION FOR THE WILD donates technical assistance to support this programme via an offshow area to promote the captive breeding of this species.

We had

Our first larva was hatched on

27 BATCHES

8TH MAY 2016

of eggs in total -

and the last on

our BEST

10th MAY 2016

YEAR yet!

In total

One pair produced

8 BATCHES!

60 LARVA

were placed across 24 plants and the first moth to emerge was on

4th SEPTEMBER 2016 and the last on

25th SEPTEMBER 2016 In total

15 MOTHS emerged;

9 MALES and 6 FEMALES

© Micky Andrews

2015

2016

Batches of eggs

5

10

Number of caterpillars emerged

48

60

1 to 2

1 to 3

Number of caterpillars put on each net We had

5 PAIRS

in total and

all 5 PRODUCED EGGS

Number of moths emerged

11 (6.5) 15 (9.6)

Number of pairs formed

8

5

Number of pairs laid

7

5

Number of egg batches laid

14

27 17

More Information If you would like further details on the charities supported through Action for the Wild, please visit: www.actionforthewild.org If you would like to know more about becoming an intern on our UmPhafa Nature Reserve in South Africa, please visit: www.umphafa.org To find out more about adopting an animal on UmPhafa, please visit: www.umphafa.org Š Free the Bears

Thank you for your support

Š Hornbill Research Foundation