Calling on you

CALLING FORchangeFor Zoo Member Jack Ryding, a pledge to recycle phones during last year’s lockdown has given his passion for primates a purpose.

WORDS Beth Wallace

n term three last year, as students across Melbourne were in the throes of remote learning, 10-year-old (who was nine at the time) Jack Ryding I – which strengthened his love for the primates. “I’ve got a big interest in monkeys and apes, especially Orangutans,” Jack says. It’s their close relationship to people that makes seized an opportunity to help one of his him determined to protect them. favourite animals. “My school shared a “They’re basically humans,” he says. link to the Melbourne Zoo website and Now that Jack has caught the the ‘They’re Calling On You’ campaign,” conservation bug, he’s keen to do Jack says. “I wanted to go a bit further, more. He plans to start gathering so I started collecting phones.” phones again and will be urging his

Jack got to work making posters, friends to get involved, too. “I say to asking people to donate their unwanted them that it’s not only good for the devices, which his mum Mia then gorillas, but it’s also fun seeing how circulated on social media. By January much you collect along the way,” he this year, he’d collected 36 phones. says. “Once you collect the phones and Connected by his newfound passion, hand them in, it’s a really good feeling Jack enjoyed a behind-the-scenes because you know that you’ve done encounter with the resident gorillas something good.”

Meet Jack

Above: Jack Ryding. Clockwise from top left: Western Lowland Gorilla; Vervet Monkey; Western Lowland Gorilla; Orangutan.

Did you know?

Saving gorillas, one phone at a time

Coltan mining poses one of the greatest threats to Eastern Lowland Gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The nation provides around 70 per cent of the world’s supply of coltan, which is a key material used in making mobile phones. Mining this in-demand resource causes massive destruction of gorilla habitat and brings people (and our diseases) into closer contact with wildlife.

To support these critically endangered species, Zoos Victoria launched ‘They’re Calling On You’ – a campaign that encourages people to donate their mobile phones, so they can be recycled or reused. Funds raised are split between conservation programs at Zoos Victoria and the Gorilla Doctors, an organisation working with sick and injured gorillas in the wild.

When Zoos Victoria Reproductive Biologist Dr Marissa Parrott visited the DRC in 2017, she saw the important outcomes of the Gorilla Doctors’ work to protect local communities and wildlife. “As people and gorillas come into closer contact, diseases (such as COVID-19 and recent outbreaks of Ebola) can be spread into wild areas, adding to the importance of Gorilla Doctors to help manage the health and future of these beautiful apes,” she says. The Gorilla Doctors operate under the principle that protecting the wildlife is not possible without helping the local communities and their livestock, too. A ‘one health’ approach is the only way to ensure this.

Having fought to survive a rare form of malaria herself – a disease that also affects gorillas – Dr Parrott has a personal appreciation for the lifesaving work being done. “It is a horrific and painful disease, and one that is often fatal,” she explains. “This is why I am so grateful that Gorilla Doctors are out protecting, treating and saving the gorillas from diseases like malaria. They are literally saving a species – one gorilla at a time.”

Because of our genetic similarities, gorillas are at risk of catching the same diseases and infections as humans. During the Melbourne lockdown, keepers wore masks while preparing food to protect our primates.

fyi

SUPPORT OUR CAUSE

Join the fight to save gorillas by donating your old phone to the cause. And don’t forget to visit this precious species at Melbourne Zoo and Werribee Open Range Zoo.

HELP SAVE THE GORILLAS

Find out more about the They’re Calling on You campaign.

Watch it here

THE ZOO OF US Say hello to the zebras&their keeper

Resistance, one of the Savannah Keepers at Werribee Open Range Zoo, is kept on his toes by the intelligent dazzle of zebras.

WORDS Noah Grundy PHOTOGRAPHY Jo Howell

Did you know?

There are three species of zebras. Plains Zebras are the most common, but there are also Mountain Zebras, which prefer to live on mountain terrain, and Grevy’s Zebras – the largest and rarest of the three species.

From the keeper:

Q How long have you worked at

Werribee Open Range Zoo?

A I’ve worked here for five years now. I spend my time on the savannah, where we look after zebras, rhinos, giraffes, eland, oryx, waterbuck and ostriches.

Q Can you tell us about the zebras in your care?

A We currently have nine zebras. Zaide is a fiercely competent mother, giving her foals Mudhe, Zari and Zola room to explore and gain confidence. Melako, our breeding male, is the tough protector of the group. He makes sure his son, Mudhe, knows who’s boss. Zola, the baby of the group, has formed an unlikely friendship with our eland herd. Most mornings, she tries to sneak off from mum to join the eland in their yard for breakfast.

Q Why do you love working with zebras?

A The group dynamics are always interesting to watch. Melako often moves between the groups of girls to make sure they know he’s the stallion looking after them. Zari is an excellent babysitter for her younger sister Zola, stopping her from getting into too much trouble.

Q What does your role as a zebra keeper involve?

A Apart from daily feeding and caring for the zebras, observation is crucial when working with a breeding group. We monitor pregnancy progression and predict when a foal is likely to be born. That way, we can anticipate anything they might need for birthing and the first few weeks of raising a foal.

Q What do the zebras do during the day?

A They’re very social animals. They spend the majority of their time grazing and resting together. Our zebras enjoy moving around with the eland herd – tending to rest wherever they settle. The young males in particular interact with each other by play fighting. We also see dust bathing, where the zebras roll around in dirt patches to cool down and clean their skin.

Q What are the differences between zebras and horses?

A Zebras have feisty personalities, so they’re not suited to being domesticated. Horses grow long manes and tail hair compared to zebras, which have shorter and stumpier hair in these areas. But the most notable difference has to be zebras’ distinctive black and white stripes. ZN

Quick questions

What are the zebras’ favourite snacks? Hoof stock pellets, lucerne hay and carrots.

Which is the cheekiest zebra? Zaide – we always catch her in our rear-vision mirror nibbling hay off the back of the ute. She has also passed her cheeky nature onto her sister Zola.

When is the best time to visit the zebras? Morning and evening are the best times to see the zebras up and about playing and feeding.

Did you know?

A group of zebras is called a dazzle. According to zoologists, zebras use their stripes, in a group, to confuse predators. Dazzling them with their unique patterns.

fyi

VISIT THEM

Visit the zebras at Werribee Open Range Zoo. Go to zoo.org.au to book your free Zoo Member tickets.