Conservation: Wellness and Wildlife Conservation

By John Lukas, Curator of Wildlife Conservation

Animal wellness implies an involvement of humans in the care and management of wildlife to promote an environment that is as natural as possible, in which they can thrive. In the wild, however, wellness does not apply to animals living a natural life as their evolutionary history determines where and how they live.

In the field of wildlife conservation there is a need to apply the principles of wellness to help animals that have been orphaned or injured while they are being rehabilitated in human care. Caretakers help the animals adapt to their temporary conditions before they can be released back to the wild. This includes keeping the animals in a natural environment, in the right social groupings, and in optimum health to contribute to a successful outcome when they are released.

As wild lands and natural habitats are increasingly occupied by an expanding human population, conflict arises and animals fall victim to poaching and the bushmeat trade. Primates are particularly affected by hunting for meat and retaliation for crop raiding. Many young primates are captured after their mothers are killed to be sold in markets as pets. Wildlife authorities confiscate the animals from markets and from owners to be cared for by conservation organizations that are dedicated to helping these unfortunate animals.

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens supports two organizations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that care for orphaned bonobos and Grauer’s gorillas: Lola Ya Bonobo and Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center (GRACE). The approach to providing wellness is similar for both species. A human surrogate mother cares for the orphans around the clock as their mother would until they can be socialized with animals of similar age.

Eventually different age primates are introduced to mimic mixed social groupings of wild populations. They live in an enclosed habitat which contains similar food sources to those they will encounter at the release site. Providing veterinary care is a human intervention to help the animals grow to be physically fit and contribute to their overall wellness.

Once the bonobos at Lola Ya Bonobo are living as a cohesive group needing minimal human care, they can be translocated to a protected rain forest block. Here they receive supplemental feedings until they can forage widely and take care of their own needs. Over 30 confiscated bonobos are now living in the wild in a community reserve protected by eco-guards from the local villages.

At GRACE in Eastern DRC, 14 orphaned Grauer’s gorillas live as one social group. The Grauer’s gorilla is the largest gorilla species and therefore the largest primate in the world with only 3,800 individuals remaining in the wild. GRACE staff care for the gorillas and work with the local community to monitor and protect the release site in Tayna Nature Reserve. Providing natural food in a large forest enclosure prepares the gorillas for a future in the wild. Insecurity in the region has delayed the release of the gorillas but work continues locating the best release sites when security improves.

Care of orphaned primates is difficult but applying the principles of wellness-inspired management gives the animals the best chance to survive once they return to their forest home. Your membership at our Zoo helps us support our conservation partners around the world, including Lola Ya Bonobo and GRACE.