C 0 N S E RVATI O N

Z O O S A N D CONSERVATION SYMPOSIUM* by Caroline Jarvis

Editor, International Zoo Yearbook, The Zoological Society of London, Great

Britain THE Symposium on zoos and conservation was a highly significant event for everyone in the zoo world, drawing attention to the special function and the special responsibility that zoos have where rare animals are con- cerned. The Symposium also marked a very important new development in the zoo and conservation field: this was the resolution passed by the Symposium that a world-wide federation should be formed of zoos, of zoo- logy departments with animal collections, of animal dealers and of all other organizations and institutions concerned with wild animals.

The problem of the destruction of the natural environment and the consequent dis- appearance of wildlife is so serious, so exten- sive, that the only hope of halting the process will be through world-wide co-operation and world-wide pooling of knowledge and re- sources. The federation could well be the means of enlisting this essential co-operation.

The Symposium was sponsored by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the International Union of Directors of Zoological Gardens and the International Cound for Bird Preservation in June 1964, it was financed by UN E s c o and the International Union of Biological Sciences, and it was held at the Zoological Society of London. It was attended by thrty-nine delegates from the three sponsoring bodies and from the Ameri- can Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, the Fauna Preservation Society, the Zoological Society of London, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, the Institute of Biology and the World Wildlife Fund. Thrty-eight observers also attended, repre- senting such varied organisations as the Medi- cal Research Council, the Universities Federa-

tion for Animal Welfare, the International Society for the Protection of Animals, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the British Airhe Pilots’ Associa- tion, the British Overseas Airways Corpora- tion, game departments and a number of commercial firms of animal dealers. There were four sessions : ‘breeding endangered species in captivity’, introduced by Dr E. M. Lang, director of Bade Zoo, and summed up by Professor F. BourliPre, president of the IUCN; ‘import, export, transport and sale of wild animals’, introduced by Mr J. F. Lips- comb, organizing secretary of the Symposium, and summed up by Colonel J. Vincent, I CBP liaison officer at the IUCN; ‘conservation edu- cation in zoos’, introduced by Mr W. K. Van den bergh, hec tor of the SociktC Royale de Zoologie d’Anvers, and summed up by Mr S. Andersen, director of Copenhagen Zoo; and ‘moral and financial support for conservation through zoos’, introduced and summed up by Mr Peter Scott. The first session was presided over by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh who welcomed delegates and observers on behalf of the Zoological Society ofLondon.

At the end of the Symposium, two im- portant recommendations were made which, when implemented, ulll have far-reaching results in the zoo and conservation fields.

I. Proposed by Mr W. G. Conway on behalfof the A A Z P A This Symposium recommends that an international organization of zoological gardens, animal collections and animal traders should be developed through the agency of the I ~ C N Zoo Liaison Commit- tee; that this federation should be formed, among other purposes, for developing a method of distributing certain rare animals for exhibition in co-operation with the I U C N Survival Service Commission and for co-operating with the I U C N and various national governments in the administration of this method.

*For the complete report, see IUCN Publications, New Series, Supplementary Paper 3

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2. Proposed by 2.lr K. Crrrry-Litzdahl ori behalfof are concerned, it should be possible to establish the ICBP. breeding colonies in zoos so as to maintain This Syniposiuni recommend^ cffcctive the species even if it becomes extinct in the governmental control of the importation wild. Selection of s~utable species, control of and transit of rare animals. An essential part the number of animals captured from the wild of such control should be to sct up in each to form the breeding groups in zoos, and countrv an exDert committee to advise their distribution among zoos. would be an governments as to the spccics to which this control should be applied.

The Symposium was also the occasion for an announccment by Sir Landsborough Thom- son, past president of the Zoological Society of London, that the Zoological Society of London had received a grant of ~ I O O . ~

from the Wolfson Foundation to enablc it to adapt and extend its present administrative offices so as to provide a national headquarters for organizations which, like itself, are con- cerned with the conservation of wildlifc. An additional building will be erected as an ex- tension of the cxisting ofices of the Socicty, and it will be provisionally known as the Wolfson Centre for Wildlife Conservation. This dcvclopnient has the support of the Council for Nature, the British National A p peal for the World Wildlife Fund and the Fauna Prcservation Society, all of which will have offices in the new centre.

Apart from the resolutions, discussion dur- ing the Symposium produced many practical suggestions, a few ofwhich are listed below.

BREEDING ENDANGERED SPECIES I N C A P T I V I T Y

It was agreed that animal breeding should be a prixnaq concern of the zoological garden. Through careful attention to the numtion, health and environment of its animals, the Bask Zoo has increased the number of mam- malian species breeding in the zoo by 25 per cent during the past few ycars, so that today 75 per cent of the mammal species exhibited are breeding. Many zoos are finding it possible to breed species that have never before repro- duced in captivity and in the future it may even be possible to breed in captivity most of the endangered bird species on the I U C N list*. Therefore, where many species of rare animals

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obvious function of thc zoo federation in association with the I U C N ; it could also draw up a code of standards to be observed by zoos looking after and breeding thcse rare animals. It was siiggested that animals distributed in this way might have to be internationally owned since some zoos are dependent on the municipalities that administer them and would be unablc to guarantee continuity of policy. A principal function of the federation would be to collect, collate and distribute iiiforniation on breeding rare animals in captivity and to arrange regular exchange of information between zoos and game departments.

Where certain species are concerncd, stud-books, on the lines of the Praguc Zoo’s Przewalski Horsc Stud-book, will bc essen- tial. If a species is to be bred in captivity over a number of years, it is important to know the degree of inbrccding occurring; w M e in the absence of natural selection, artificial sclcction ofhealthy breeding lines is vital.

Research into all aspects of animal repro- duction should be undertaken by zoos that have the rcsources to do this. At the same time, zoos and ganiedepartments should work together on the problem of re-establishing captive-bred animal species in the wild. Similarly, rcscarch ccntres, in association with zoos and universities, should also be set up in national parks and game reserves. Research into artificial insemination techniques should be undertaken as a means of simplifying the interchange of breedmg lines and of making the maximum use of the breeding potential of new blood obtained from the wild. Central semen banks should be set up. In some cascs, it might be a good idea for zoos to specialize in the breeding of onc particular group of animals; alternativcly, urban zoos which do not have the facilities to provide optimum breeding conditions should be encouraged to start breeding farms.

*The IUCN is currently compiling lists of animals and plants threatened with extinction. Copies of these lists can bc obtained from tho IUCN. Morges, Vaud. Switzcrland. See also pp. 325-328 of the Yearbook.

should have their rarity indicated on their enclosures. This has already been done very successfully in the New York Zoological Park (see Inter. Z o o Yearb., 4, 150). Another success- ful device at the New York Zoological Park is a looking-glass behind bars entitled ‘The Most Dangerous Animal’ where the visitor sees himself reflected. In particular, zoos should try and ensure that children and their teachers are made aware of the need for con- servation: after all, it is upon the children of today that the conservation of tomorrow will depend.

F I N A N C I A L A N D M O R A L S U P P O R T FOR C O N S E R V A T I O N

Additional funds could be raised by zoos for conservation and be directed to the World Wildlife Fund which has been established as a community chest for conservation. Various devices for raising money in zoos were sug- gested. These included ‘wishing wells’ into which the public could be encouraged to throw coins to help conservation (this has already been done very successfully at Frank- fiirt Zoo and at Birdland, Bourton-on-the- Water). Another idea would be to have as a standard zoo feature an empty cage for an animal already extinct with a striking explan- atory label and a collecting box for conser- vation attached. Collecting boxes could also be set up alongside enclosures of rare animals in the zoo. The World Wildlife Fund and its activities should be mentioned wherever pos- sible in zoo guides, lectures, television and radio programmes. A list of money-raising devices could be prepared by the zoo federation for distribution to zoos.

As regards ‘moral’ support, the point was strongly made that unless zoos and other organizations concern themselves with the problem of conservation, there may well be no animals left for them to exhibit in the not too distant future. It was pointed out that the effect of man on the elimination of animal species is much more devastating than evolution, and that this process is accelerating all the time. The success of conservation measures will de- pend on the manipulation of nature by man - which is where zoos, with their specialized knowledge of wild animals and their unique facilities for research, can do so much to help.

IMPORT, EXPORT, T R A N S I T A N D S A L E OF WILD A N I M A L S

It was pointed out that whde the demands of zoos sometimes constitute IDO per cent of the animal trade (e.g. some of the larger species of ungulates), in many instances they form only a fraction of the trade, as for instance with primates and cage birds. Effective control of the wild animal trade is extremely difficult and it was felt that control of imports would probably be more effective than control of exports. There was also a need for standard- ized transport regulations.

Regulation of the wild animal trade, and in particular the operation of a ‘quota’ system where rare animals are concerned, wodd be hardly feasible without the formation of a zoo federation whose members could then formulate a common policy on trade matters; it could also help enforcement of national and international legislation. In addition, a register might be compiled of reputable animal traders with whom federation mem- bers would be recommended to deal.

C O N S E R V A T I O N E D U C A T I O N I N Z O O S

One of the most important functions of a zoo is to educate the public about wild animals. Zoos have a responsibility towards the animals in their care and towards these animals’ con- geners in the wild. Zoos which cannot afford breeding research programmes, can at least undertake education of the public about con- servation. This can take many forms. Zoos can organize lectures, film shows or exhibitions demonstrating the importance of conservation and showing how the destruction of animals and their habitats can lead to the degradation of the land to such an extent that it is reduced to desert. They can exhibit their breeding groups of rare animals and bring home to the public what it is they arc being asked to help save from extinction. Exhibits should be made as attractive as possible and the animals should be displayed to their best advantage. Labelling should be simple, vivid and, wher- ever possible, should relate to conservation. More detailed information should be available to those who seek it. Slot machines dispensing books, leaflets and distribution maps of rare animals could be placed round the zoo. All animals on the I u c N list of endangered species

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As Dr Thorpe, reader in zoology at Cam- bridge University said, man is more than a biological entity. He has acquired a technique of control of his environment of an altogether Merent order from that of any other animal that has previously existed. Ecological and selectional processes are being superseded in such a manner that safeguards from extinction and natural equhbria b d t in to organisms through millennia of natural selection can now be overturned in a decade by human activities. Their effects may often be as inadvertent as they are irrevocable, outside the range of normal biological process, so that to say that man and his activities are part of biology and nothmg more is only a half-truth and an in- adequate guide to the situation.

Obviously, we cannot expect to preserve all species of wild animals, but zoos and everyone else concerned with wild animals have a moral duty to try and discover means of con- trolling the increasingly rapid process of destruction. The symposium has indicated various ways in whch zoos can help. It is now up to them to act.

CONSERVATION OF NATURE - A DUTY FOR

by Kai Curry-Lirzdahl Director, Zoological Department,

Nordiska Museet and Skansen, Stockholm, Sweden

A MODERN zoological park has great obliga- tions. As a working museum exhibiting live animals and, if possible, their habitats, it should be able to give the public cultural recreation combining Loth instruction and pleasure. It i s of extreme importance and a great responsibility that this task is fulfilled in the right way, so that the public’s interest is directed toward a wide perspective. An ani- mal in its enclosure is doing more than simply present itself and its characteristics. It is a means of providing a broader understanding of the role that particular species play in a biocommunity. Such a goal can only be reached successfully by a zoo through a thorough understanding of living nature, the inter-relationshp of animals and their environ- ment. Therefore, research, or at least full

ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS

awareness of scientific progress in various ecological and zoological fields, is an inevit- able part of the work of the modern zoo. But there are also other scientific investigations that all zoos are morally obliged to under- take, because they are in a unique position to do so. Much ethological and pathological re- search, as well as some biological observa- tions, can only be carried out in zoos since living and dead material of certain species are available for such studies only in zoos. Mr Van den Bergh has already stressed the importance of this kind of work in Volunie 4ofthe Yearbook (pp. 61-62).

Yet another important duty for each zoo is to work actively for the conservation of nature. One can say that a zoo is parasitizing on the animals it exhibits because they are used to attract the public. The least we can do in retum is to pay back a part of our debt to the animals. This can be done through careful, inteltigent propaganda as to the value and importance of preserving wild animals in their natural habitats on different continents of this still interesting world of ours. We should consider the animals exhibited in zoos as am- bassadors for their wild relatives on savan- nahs, in forests and along the seashore. But their success as ambassadors depends on us. It is true that an animal in its enclosure to a certain extent speaks for itself, but exhi- bitions, labels, guides, brochures, talks, press releases, should always reflect the theme of conservation.

If the zoos of the world, which together have an annual attendance of about 140 mdlion visitors, all worked along these lines a tremendous amount could be done in educat- ing the public to realize that conservation of nature is much more than something that aims at the preservation of animals because they are beautiful or amusing. People must be guided to understand that conservation of nature is necessary for the survival of man hmself.

The four main functions of a zoological garden or an aquarium should be conserva- tion, research, education and public recrea- tion. Few other museum institutions, other than zoos, have greater opportunities to achieve such a programme - the extension of knowledge of nature conservation, particularly

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