Zoos and Save the Rhino International: Working together to save rhinos - Steve and Ann Toon - Zoo Partnerships Report 2019 ...
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Zoos and Save the
© Steve and Ann Toon
Rhino International:
Working together
to save rhinos
Working together for Between April 2019 and March 2020, our zoo partners
contributed a phenomenal £179,968 for rhino
rhino conservation conservation efforts.
Total zoo contributions for in situ rhino conservation programmes via
Save the Rhino International.
Zoos have an incredible capacity zoo community and Save the Rhino
£200,000
to play a powerful role in the International have worked together £179,968
Total zoo contributions in GBP
conservation of endangered to deliver vital rhino conservation
species, both in ex situ settings efforts across Africa and Asia. Many
and for in situ populations. of our zoo partners have supported £150,000
the work of field programmes for a
With zoos in the EAZA (European number of years; their commitment
Association of Zoos and Aquaria) to funding key in situ conservation £100,000
network welcoming 140 million efforts for consecutive years is
visitors a year, zoos have a essential to deliver positive impact
prominent platform to share for rhino populations and respond £73,291
conservation messages with the to the conservation finance gap that £50,000
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public and, through close remains perilously wide.
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encounters with wildlife, to inspire
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visitors to become active Donations from zoos in 2019-20 far
Financial year
supporters of in situ conservation exceeded the average
efforts. annual zoo contributions in recent
years, in part thanks to
Since our collaboration on the collaborations on new campaigns
2005-2006 EAZA ‘Save the involving significant grants from a
Rhinos’ campaign, the European number of our zoo partners.
All images © Mark Carwardine
© Sam Bond
3 4
One such grant was from conserving viable populations of
Wilhelma Zoological and Botanical Critically Endangered rhinos (with
Garden, Stuttgart, which became a the long-term aim of each
Strategic Partner of the Sumatran species being down-listed to a
Rhino Rescue project, pledging lower category of threat in the
$100,000 over two years to IUCN Red List), we are now
support efforts to rescue this working to achieve this goal by
Critically Endangered species from focusing on the following areas:
the brink of extinction. Another
was £25,000 generously donated 1. Protection, law enforcement,
by the Zoological Society of East intelligence and investigations
Anglia for aerial surveillance in 2. Biological management
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South 3. Stopping illegal markets
Africa, in celebration of the 4. Building capacity
Society’s 50th anniversary. 5. Coordination
6. Societal relevance
Whilst recent years have seen 7. Sustainable, adequate financing
steady declines in the number of
rhinos poached, the situation
© Tristan Vince
remains dire. In South Africa
alone, one rhino was killed for its
horns every 15 hours in 2019.
Clearance of land for human
settlement, agricultural production
and logging also continues to
increase. This is a major threat to
rhinos that need space to thrive,
hampering their ability to recover
and increase their populations.
These key threats of poaching and
habitat loss remain the biggest
challenges to conserving rhino
populations in the 21st century.
Save the Rhino International
developed a new conservation
strategy to guide our efforts to
tackle these threats, and protect
and grow rhino populations.
Continuing our focus on
© Cyril Ruoso
5 6
To respond to conservation challenges, the World Section Ranger distributing new
camping kits including battery
Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Conservation power chargers, funded through
our zoo partners, to ranger teams
Strategy outlines that all zoos should “increase their in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park.
contribution to and impact on saving species in the
wild”.
WAZA recommends that zoos Collaboration is at the heart of all
partner with trusted conservation we do and this report will outline
organisations to implement action concrete examples of the
in the field and commit to conservation impact that has been
developing their budgets to achieved by connecting zoos with
support conservation over the in situ rhino programmes.
long-term.
In the following section, we review
As such, we are acting as a how zoo partnerships contributed
trusted conduit between zoological to four of our strategy areas, and
institutions and in-field programme share the impact that funding has
partners who protect and monitor achieved in tackling the threats
rhino populations in the wild. facing rhinos in the wild.
Percentage of restricted zoo contributions via Save the Rhino
International analysed by strategy.
Protection, law enforcement,
intelligence and investigations - 28%
Building capacity - 10%
Stopping illegal markets - 6%
Biological management - 56%
© Dirk Swart
7 8
Strategy 1: Protection, law Zoo donations have enabled
conservancies in Kenya to purchase a new
vehicle and enabled more training
enforcement, intelligence and
sessions for canine units.
investigation
© Martin Buzora
Keeping rhinos safe from Generous funding from Réserve
poachers is key to maintaining Africaine de Sigean and Biopar-
healthy, thriving populations and co di Roma will enable HiP to buy
reducing the illegal trade in rhino and install a new digital radio sys-
horn. A large proportion of funding tem to support anti-poaching activ-
from Save the Rhino and our ities. This system will replace the
partners is directed to equip previously vulnerable analogue
rangers and enhance the radios, crucially improving the
anti-poaching operations they security of communications
© Martin Buzora
undertake to protect rhinos. between the ranger teams.
In South Africa, the team at In celebration of their 50th
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP) have anniversary, the Zoological
© Dirk Swart
been tackling the rising tide of Society of East Anglia held a year-
poaching in the KwaZulu- long fundraising drive, collecting a ‘Savannah’ light aircraft. The courts were often not recognising
Natal province since the start of phenomenal £25,000 to fund the Savannah is able to provide aerial the importance or credibility of
the latest poaching crisis in 2007. operational costs of HiP’s surveillance across the Park, testimony from canine units in
monitor fence lines, detect crime criminal cases. Our partners at
scenes and provide over-watch Zoo Berlin and Tierpark Berlin
during contact with poachers. provided generous funds so that
A key part of HiP’s operations, Ol Jogi’s Canine Unit could
the Savannah helps to make the undergo certification by the Kenya
Park’s rhino protection and law Police. Following the successful
enforcement efforts more certification, evidence collected by
effective. the Conservancy’s canine team
is now considered ‘admissible’ in
In Kenya, Ol Jogi was one of the court cases, an important step to
first conservancies in the Laikipia ensuring successful convictions.
region to add a canine unit to their
Generous funds from the Zoological anti-poaching and law Across the Laikipia region, our
Society of East Anglia funded the
operation of the Savannah aircraft at HiP. © Dirk Swart enforcement efforts. However, partners at Bioparco di Roma,
9 10
Bioparc Valencia, Rotterdam Zoo black rhinos. With no formal
and West Midland Safari Park protections over the desert
supported the operational costs of landscape they roam, the
canine units at Lewa Wildlife, Ol rhinos could be more vulnerable to
Jogi and Ol Pejeta Conservancies. poaching attempts. Staying
Donations funded renovations to one-step ahead of poachers is
kennels, supported training of the essential to protect this population.
units, helped procure a vehicle
adapted to transport Lewa’s With support from our partners at
canine unit and helped cover Zoo Krefeld, SRT’s Wildlife Crime
veterinary costs for dogs. These Coordinator (in collaboration with
investments ensure that the dogs the Namibian Police Service)
stay in peak physical condition and spent 220 days of the year
that the canine teams can conducting fieldwork,
continue operating as formidable investigations and pre-emptive
units to tackle the threat of patrols. These efforts have led to
poaching. many arrests and successes in
deterring poachers, helping to
In Namibia’s Kunene region, Save keep rhinos safe and allowing the
the Rhino Trust monitors and population to grow.
protects a unique population of
In 2019-20, zoos provided more than £47,700 to support
anti-poaching and ranger training activities.
Breakdown of zoo contributions to protection, law enforcement,
intelligence and investigation activities.
Ranger training, £1,767.75, 4%
Anti-poaching operations, £45,944, 96%
© Steve and Ann Toon
11 12
Strategy 2: Biological Alongside protection from
poaching, management of rhino
populations is vital to ensure they
As a Strategic Partner, Wilhelma
Zoological and Botanical Garden,
Stuttgart is directing its support to
management activities
are healthy, have strong enhance the conservation
genetic diversity and all the breeding programme at the
conditions needed to successfully Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary (SRS)
Seven rhinos live at the Sumatran grow and build resilience against – the only viable captive
Rhino Sanctuary. They are a lifeline for their extinction. population of Sumatran rhinos in
species’ future. Thanks to donations from our zoo the world.
partners, the facilities of the Sanctuary have
doubled in size. Soon, we hope that more Sumatran Biological management
Thanks to crucial funding from
received the largest
rhinos will call it home.
All images © www.nickgarbuttphotography.com Wilhelma, and other partners
contribution from including West Midland Safari
Park, a second ring of rhino
zoological institutions in enclosures was built at the SRS,
the last financial year, along with improvements to its
veterinary and staff facilities. This
raising more than £93,350 has doubled the space available
for these activities. for rhinos in the breeding
programme and increased the
capacity of the team to provide the
This is largely due to the generous
highest standards of care and
grants of Wilhelma Zoological and
fertility support to help grow the
Botanical Garden, Stuttgart, who
population of this unique
joined the Sumatran Rhino
species.
Rescue project as Strategic
Partners.
In Kenya, Ol Jogi Conservancy
has also been working to increase
Sumatran Rhino Rescue is a
the capacity of its veterinary
ground-breaking, international
surgery, which treats endangered
collaboration to save the Critically
wildlife and supports
Endangered Sumatran rhino from
conservation research. Thanks to
extinction through managed
the support of our partners at
conservation breeding and care.
Erlebnis Zoo Hannover, Zoo Berlin
Fewer than 80 individuals remain
and Tierpark Berlin, Ol Jogi was
in the wild, scattered across 10
able to install a sustainable solar
small subpopulations; without
power system for the surgery, and
action, the species could become
procured weighing scales, a new
extinct in a matter of decades.
drill for inserting transmitters into
rhino horns, a digital microscope
13 14
and a new portable x-ray machine. Safaripark) and Fondation Le Pal Breakdown of zoo contributions to biological management activities.
These changes have improved the Nature, LRT was able to conduct
efficiency and diagnostic abilities a number of ‘ear notching’ oper-
of the clinic, helping to provide the ations where unique patterns of
Conservation breeding, £49,283.00, 53%
highest quality of care for rhinos, notches are made on rhinos’ ears,
other wildlife and the under anaesthetic, to help identify Habitat management, £460.55,
Strategy 3: Stopping illegal
All images © Education for Nature - Vietnam
markets
Reducing the demand for illegal trade to species such as rhinos in
rhino horn products and stopping an effort to reduce consumption.
their sale are crucial to disrupting Generous funding from Zoo de la
the trade and stopping poaching of Barben has supported ENV’s work
rhinos. In the 2019-2020 on Public Service
financial year, zoo partners Announcements (PSAs); videos
donated more than £10,150 to that aim to change people’s
support this work, mostly centred attitudes and behaviours around
on behaviour-change campaigns illegal wildlife products. Their
with our programme partner most recent PSA, ‘Children know
Education for Nature Vietnam. the score about rhino poaching’
Save the Rhino also supports the has been shown on TV channels
work of our partners at TRAFFIC across Vietnam, and viewed more
in China and Vietnam, as well as than 1.6 million times on YouTube.
the Environmental
Investigation Agency (EIA). In
addition to behaviour change,
ENV’s video is spreading
these efforts focus on consumer the important message
and market research, intelligence
and investigations in consumer that using illegal wildlife
countries, and strengthening legal products is wrong.
and policy frameworks to stem the
illegal trade in rhino horn. Zoo Berlin and Tierpark Berlin,
with additional funding from Zoo
Vietnam is one of the two de la Barben, provided grants to
countries (alongside neighbouring support ENV’s National Wildlife
China) with the highest demand Protection Network. This group of
for rhino horn, which in Vietnam is volunteers monitors and reports
mainly bought as a status symbol, wildlife crime and raise public
with some also using horn in awareness of the threats illegal
traditional medicines. Education trade poses for wildlife. In 2020,
for Nature Vietnam (ENV) works the Network is recruiting more
to educate Vietnamese citizens volunteers to expand their efforts.
about the threat of illegal wildlife
17 18
Strategy 4: Capacity-building
To ensure rhino conservation Last winter, 40 frontline
efforts are as effective as possible,
it is important that the teams staff from three rhino
protecting rhinos are well
equipped, trained and motivated.
reserves took part in
In the last financial year, zoos wildlife crime
contributed £16,232 to build the
capacity of wildlife rangers and
investigation training in
rhino conservationists in the field, Assam, India.
procuring essential equipment,
paying for training and supporting Thanks to the increased capacity
the welfare of staff working in often of law enforcement, recent years
dangerous and stressful situations. have seen a decrease in poaching
and arrests of poaching suspects
The state of Assam, in India, is have increased.
home to the largest regional
population of Greater one-horned
© www.manameadowsphotography.com
rhinos in the wild. Whilst
successful poaching attempts are
low, the number of attempted rhino
poaching incidents means rangers
and law enforcement must stay
vigilant.
Our partners at Parc Animalier de
Branféré and Rotterdam Zoo
provided generous funds for
wildlife crime investigation
training sessions in Assam as part
of the Indian Rhino Vision 2020
(IRV2020) programme. The
training covered topics such as
securing crime scenes,
evidence collection and handling
procedures and writing reports.
A Greater one-horned rhino in India’s
Kaziranga National Park. © Steve and Ann Toon
19 20Funding from our partners At Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP) in
South Africa, rangers work hard to
including Colchester Zoo, tackle the high rate of illegal
Zoo de Montpellier, Zoo incursions into the Park.
Zlín, Parco Natura Viva and With more kits (including
Zoo de la Boissière du Doré backpacks, tents, mattresses,
sleeping bags and gas cookers -
procured 130 extended see photo left), rangers can spend
longer periods in the Park’s
camping kits for ‘hotspots’, ready to intercept
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park’s any incursions before a rhino is
poached.
rangers.
Breakdown of zoo contributions to capacity-building activities.
Workshops and training courses, £2,989.96, 18%
Ranger welfare, £13,242.35, 82%
© Steve and Ann Toon
© Dirk Swart
21 22Conclusion in the field through the pandemic,
and hope that, once zoos are
able to reopen and welcome back
and BIAZA (the British and Irish
Association of Zoos and
Aquariums) to continue
visitors, they will be able to renew supporting rhino conservation ef-
Thanks to the incredible support of 34 zoo partners in their commitment for in situ forts. Through these
2019-20 financial year, together we directed grants conservation efforts in the collaborations, we will strive to
achieve our shared aims of a fu-
long-term.
totalling £167,466 to eight rhino conservation ture with more biodiversity and a
programmes in seven countries across Africa and Asia. Save the Rhino is also ready to
support our zoo partners with their
more symbiotic relationship
between humanity and nature.
Additionally, zoos generously gave Europe, nearly every zoo has fundraising and awareness
£12,501 in unrestricted experienced a period of closure as activities whenever they need, and Finally, we would like to say a
contributions supporting the part of national responses to this will continue providing massive ‘thank you’ to all of the
breadth of our rhino conservation crisis. With a massive reduction in communications and reports zoos, their staff, Boards and
efforts. income but continued high demonstrating the impact their visitors, who have so generously
operational costs for zoos, the support makes for rhinos in the contributed to support rhino
From supporting anti-poaching future of fundraising for in situ wild. Despite the pandemic, we conservation programmes across
operations in South Africa to the conservation looks uncertain. In aim to continue strengthening our Africa and Asia. We look forward
conservation breeding programme 2020-21, we expect many zoos partnerships with zoos and to continuing our successful
at the Sumatran Rhino will be focusing all of their efforts regional organisations, including partnerships to make a future
Sanctuary in Indonesia, our zoo on continuing to offer the highest EAZA, AFdPZ (the French where all five rhino species thrive
partners play a pivotal role in standards of care for their animals Association of Zoological Parks) in the wild a reality.
conserving all five species of and ensuring their organisations
rhinos in the wild. Almost doubling can continue operating.
the total contributions from zoo
partners in the previous financial Inevitably, we understand that in
year, together we are realising the following months we might see
the goal set by WAZA for zoos to a reduction in contributions from
“increase their contribution to and zoos as they tighten their budgets.
impact on saving species in the Our programme partners across
wild”. Africa and Asia are similarly
having to cope with the impacts
Whilst the past financial year has and uncertainties of Covid-19,
been a great success in working to keep their staff safe
deepening our partnerships and and healthy and maintaining their
increasing our impact, we vital rhino conservation operations
recognise there will be challenges whilst dealing with a reduction in
in the year ahead. The funding from tourism and
Coronavirus pandemic has greatly philanthropy. We will continue to
affected life around the world. In support our programme partners © Steve and Ann Toon
23 24Appendices
© www.manameadowsphotography.com
Appendix A: Analysis of zoo contributions made via SRI by field programme
Percentage of restricted zoo contributions made via SRI by programme.
Indonesia - Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary - 29%
South Africa - Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park - 29%
Kenya - Ol Jogi - 15%
Zimbabwe - Lowveld Rhino Trust - 12%
Vietnam - Education for Nature Vietnam - 6%
Kenya - APLRS - Canine Units - 5%
Namibia - Save the Rhino Trust - 2%
India - Indian Rhino Vision 2020 - 2%
Appendix B: Analysis of zoo contributions made via SRI by species
Percentage of restricted zoo contributions made via SRI by species or strategy
focus.
Black - 2%
Black and white - 60%
All species - 6%
Greater one-horned - 2%
Sumatran - 30%
25 26Appendix C: Zoo support listed by field programme in the financial year 2019-20 Tierpark Berlin
Zoologischer Garten Berlin
India-Indian Rhino Vision 2020
Zimbabwe-Lowveld Rhino Trust
Parc Animalier de Branfere
Dublin Zoo (ZSI)
Rotterdam Zoo (Diergaarde Blijdorp)
Fondation Le Pal Nature
Indonesia-Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary
Stichting Wildlife / Safaripark Beekse Bergen and Dierenrijk
West Midland Safari & Leisure Park
Zoologisch-Botanischer Garten Wilhelma (Stuttgart)
Kenya-APLRS-Canine Units
Bioparc Valencia
Bioparco di Roma
Rotterdam Zoo (Diergaarde Blijdorp)
Kenya-Ol Jogi
Erlebnis Zoo Hannover
Tallinn Zoo
Yorkshire Wildlife Park Foundation
Zoologischer Garten Berlin and Tierpark Berlin
Namibia-Save the Rhino Trust
West Midland Safari & Leisure Park
Zoo Krefeld
Save the Rhino International-Core fund
Cotswold Wildlife Park
Edinburgh Zoo (RZSS)
Folly Farm
Monde Sauvage Safari Parc
Ruhr-Zoo Gelsenkirchen (Zoom Erlebniswelt Gelsenkirchen)
Salzburg Zoo
Touroparc
Zoo du Bassin d’Arcachon
Zoo Madrid and Parques Reunidos Foundation
Zoologischer Garten Schwerin
South Africa-Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park
Bioparco di Roma
Colchester Zoo
Friends of Berlin Zoo (Gemeinschaft der Förderer von Tierpark Berlin und Zoologischem
Garten Berlin)
Knuthenborg Safaripark
Parco Natura Viva (ARCA Foundation)
Réserve Africaine de Sigean
Zoo de la Boissière du Doré
Zoological Society of East Anglia (Banham Zoo & Africa Alive)
Zoologicka Garden and Chateau Zlin-Lesna
Vietnam-Education for Nature Vietnam
Parc zoologique de la Barben
© Gerad Lacs
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