WAZA News 1/2012

WAZA news 1/12

Christine Kurrle |

Zoo Frankfurt, Germany In May and June 2011 the guided bat tours at Frankfurt Zoo enjoyed great popularity. The participants could experience highly informative and entertaining evenings. The experts from the group “conservation of bats” first Neil Maddison | Bristol Zoo, UK gave a theoretical introduction folLivingstone’s Fruit Bat, Project Update lowed by a guided tour through the nightly zoo located in the center of Bristol Conservation and Science The Comoros Islands are the home the city of Frankfurt, presenting the Foundation (sister organisation of of Livingstone’s fruit bat, one of the bat`s favorite hunting grounds and largest bats in the world and endemic Bristol Zoo Gardens), in partnercommenting on the variety of species to only two small islands. In the 90s, ship with Durrell, launched a forest and their characteristics. it was thought the population of this conservation programme in Anjouan Visitors who wanted to know more endangered species was only 200 in 2007 with a pilot phase working had the chance to listen to the lecture individuals, prompting Bristol Zoo with a few communities. In 2009 the “Night Flight – Fascinating Bats” held Gardens along with Jersey Wildlife project was awarded £241,000 of by the director of the state ornithoPreservation Trust (now Durrell funding from the Darwin Initiative logical station for Hessen, Rheinlandfor a three year project, which was Wildlife Conservation Trust) to collect Pfalz und Saarland, a governmental individuals from the Comoros for cap- followed a year later by the awarding bird protection center and partner of of 750,000 euros of funding from the tive breeding programmes. Frankfurt Zoo. French Development Agency until During the “week of biodiversity”, an Since then, more roost sites have the end of 2012. annual event of several organizations been discovered, and the current The project is working to develop in the area of Frankfurt in May, more population estimate stands at a model for forest conservation and than 10.000 visitors could experience 1,200 individuals. But the species’ natural resource management that in the Grzimekhaus – the home of our status is no less perilous (classed as supports local communities to make nocturnal animals – how fascinating endangered by the IUCN), as the decisions to manage their land in bats are. Commented feedings and bat’s forest habitat is under cona sustainable manner. Nine communisiderable pressure due to a rapidly keepers talks were offered throughties surrounding the Moya Forest regrowing population with a shortage out the week. The scientists of the of fertile land for agriculture. gion in the South of Anjouan are now Senckenberg Institute, also a partengaged. The main areas of intervenner of the zoo, informed interested tion are: sustainable agricultural invisitors and showed “Bats close-up”. tensification, collective management A paint and handicraft workshop for of natural resources, development kids completed Zoo Frankfurt’s conof alternative livelihoods, ecological tribution to the “Year of the bat”. research and monitoring. © Bristol zoo Livingstone’s fruit bat (Pteropus livingstonii).