WildCare Institute Annual Report

Transcription

1 WildCare Institute 2015 Annual Report

2 2 Humboldt penguins are the focus of conservation work in Peru.

3 At a time when conservation news may often leave us in despair, the story of the WildCare Institute reminds us that together we can make a difference. We believed in 2004, when we founded the Institute, that focused conservation of wild populations would help save endangered species. By extending our reach beyond the Zoo s fence to places like Madagascar and the Sahara Desert and closer to home in the Ozark area of Missouri, we have closely connected the work we do at the Zoo to conservation in the wild. The hallmark of our Institute is our desire to work with others in places where animals are threatened by shrinking habitats, poaching and disease. We also wanted to capitalize on the significant expertise of our veterinarians, researchers, scientists and animal division professionals in managing our field conservation programs. Over the past 12 years, we have won several national conservation awards, but the proof of our success lies in what is happening in the wild where we work with our many partners. In the past year alone, we can report some major successes: the return of scimitar-horned oryx to the wild, nearly three decades after their extinction; 2,115-plus Ozark hellbenders released in Missouri rivers; the discovery of American burying beetle offspring from four earlier reintroductions in Southwest Missouri; reduced human-animal conflict in areas where lions roam in Africa; rising numbers of vulnerable Humboldt penguins in Peru; the creation of Armenia s first conservation breeding facility dedicated to saving that nation s endangered reptiles among many others. You can read about these successes and other news in this report which covers 2015 conservation projects. We also list those who have contributed in 2015 and all the partners who were involved in center projects during the year. For a complete list of all partners, please visit stlzoo.org/wildcare. In closing, let me stress that we have never lost sight of the fact that the very future of the animals in our care and in the world can only be guaranteed through dedicated research and conservation, through collaboration with a range of institutions and with the support of people who care. Thank you for your interest in the WildCare Institute and in saving wildlife and wild places. Jeffrey P. Bonner, Ph.D. Dana Brown President & CEO Saint Louis Zoo 3

4 4 An endangered Ozark hellbender, bred and raised at the Saint Louis Zoo, now calls a Missouri Ozark stream home thanks to the work of the Institute.

5 Collaboration. Cooperation. Conservation. These three principles have guided the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute s mission since its inception in 2004 and helped it fulfill its mission of creating a sustainable future for wildlife and for people around the world. Collaboration is evident in the WildCare Institute s 180 partners from non-governmental and governmental organizations, universities and communities around the world. Collaboration weaves the contributions of all of our partners into a richer fabric that creates a holistic approach to conservation and markedly extends the WildCare Institute s ability to affect change. Cooperation is evident when we work with local communities to fulfill their needs so that they can better protect their environment and wildlife. Cooperation is effective when we support researchers from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Washington University in St. Louis, as well as Oxford University (UK) and others to fulfill research needs. Conservation is the backbone of our goals, preserving species and species diversity for future generations. It is evident when we use the One Plan approach for conservation. The One Plan approach to species conservation is the development of management strategies and conservation actions by all responsible parties for all populations of a species, whether inside or outside their natural range. This involves connecting the welfare, care and breeding of animals in the Zoo with the protection of animals in the wild. That model is evident when American burying beetles from the Saint Louis Zoo are reintroduced into Missouri and when Zoo-bred hellbenders are returned to Missouri rivers to augment existing populations there. Collaboration. Cooperation. Conservation. These principles are critical to addressing the many difficult conservation concerns we face now and in the future. As some institutions seek sole ownership in individual programs, we believe that the WildCare Institute s approach of collaboration is a better approach, a model of how teamwork can most effectively advance conservation. For when collaboration and cooperation drive our actions, then conservation is the winner. Eric Miller, DVM, Dipl., ACZM Director, WildCare Institute Senior Vice President Director of Zoological Operations Saint Louis Zoo 5

6 Box Turtles Missouri Native Species Hellbenders American Burying Beetles Polar Bears Pollinators Mountain Vipers Horned Guans Birds WildCare Institute Centers Locations of organizations the WildCare Institute supports Amphibians Galápagos Birds, Tortoises Humboldt Penguins Grevy s Zebras Lemurs Camels Cheetahs Chimpanzees, Gorillas and Okapis Saharan Wildlife Orangutans Asian Elephants Partula Snails About the Saint Louis Zoo s WildCare Institute Launched in 2004, the WildCare Institute is committed to wildlife management and recovery, conservation science and support of the human populations that coexist with wildlife in conservation hotspots around the globe, including several in Missouri. In This Report 2015 At a Glance...7 Protecting Species...13 Finding the Answers...14 Educating Future Scientists...17 Heading Home...18 Coming Together...21 The WildCare Institute Also Supports...22 How is the WildCare Institute Funded?...26 Institute for Conservation Medicine...29 Endowed Funds Support Conservation Across the Globe Honor Roll...32 Gala, Crowdfunding Initiative and Change for Conservation Exceed Expectations...33 Conservation Partners/Grants...34 You Can Help

7 2015 At a Glance Over the past decades, zoos have worked hard to preserve habitats, conduct research and increase awareness of the plight of endangered animals among the people who live with exotic animals and those who visit zoos to see them. The Saint Louis Zoo s researchers, veterinarians, curators and keepers participate in conservation projects around the globe and throughout Missouri. The Saint Louis Zoo also provides leadership in educating the public about such issues as habitat destruction, pollution, disease threats, loss of biodiversity, the impact of climate change and human-animal conflict. These pages offer highlights of a few of the Institute s many projects. American burying beetles Center for American Burying Beetle Conservation Saving this important insect helps the ecosystem because this beetle removes dead and decaying animals naturally Reintroducing Zoo-born beetles a first for an endangered species in Missouri Researching genetics and breeding helps species recovery Conservationists celebrate the return of scimitar horned oryx to Chad, where they vanished in

8 Center for Avian Health in the Galápagos Islands Protecting rare island birds for more than a decade Training Ecuadorian scientists and rangers to recognize and test for diseases Assisting more than 30 students to earn graduate degrees Galápagos Hawks Center for Conservation of Carnivores in Africa Gathering baseline data on carnivore health, numbers and ecology Reducing conflicts between wildlife and livestock through community education Relocating endangered animals to game reserves Increasing genetic diversity in cheetah populations Cheetah Center for Conservation in Forest Park Addressing the need for greater exposure to nature for urban children Focusing on preserving and studying native wildlife Visiting classrooms, offering field trips to Forest Park Creating a pollinator garden and nature play area Emerson Children s Zoo Keeper Ben Woodruff brings turtles to inner-city schools to help children get close to nature. 8

9 Hellbender keeper Amanda Pedigo prepares to release an animal bred and raised at the Saint Louis Zoo. Ron Goellner Center for Hellbender Conservation Breeding Ozark hellbenders in captivity a first in the world for this salamander Serving as home to 4,000-plus Ozark hellbenders 75 percent of the world s population of this species Releasing more than 2,115 headstarted animals into the wild (This is a combination of Zoo-bred animals and those hatched from wild-collected egg masses.) Monitoring the movement, health and survival rate of released animals Center for Conservation in the Horn of Africa Supporting programs in Kenya and Ethiopia Working to save the Grevy s zebra, mountain nyala, hirola, African elephant, black rhino and Ethiopian wolf Building capacity among villagers living near wildlife Re-establishing animals historic migratory corridors and creating wildlife-friendly areas Grevy s zebras in Kenya Critically endangered horned guan Center for Conservation of the Horned Guan in Mexico Working to save guans in the wild where only 1,000 to 2,000 remain Conducting research and advocating for increasing the protected area for guans Teaching habitat-friendly ways to farmers Strengthening community conservation participation Maintaining a genetically viable captive conservation population 9

10 Center for Conservation in Madagascar Supporting the international consortium, Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group, based at the Zoo The Saint Louis Zoo was a founding member in 1988 Conserving biodiversity in Madagascar through research, education and capacity building Studying the health and genetics of endangered lemurs and endemic carnivore communities Monarch butterfly Center for Native Pollinator Conservation Developing pollinator roadside habitat with multiple Missouri state agencies Increasing monarch butterfly habitat by encouraging planting of milkweed Spearheading creation of honey bee/pollinator health coalitions Establishing the Bumblebee Specialist Group to save species Center for Conservation in Punta San Juan, Peru Helping create a network of protected areas along the Peruvian Coast Taking annual Humboldt penguin censuses to monitor population size Conducting health assessments, collecting biological data on penguins Supporting sustainable guano harvests to protect breeding areas Madagascar s ring-tailed lemurs Punta San Juan wildlife 10

11 Saharan red-necked ostrich Saharan Wildlife Recovery Center Saving the biggest bird on the planet, the Saharan red-necked ostrich, through captive breeding in Niger to support their reintroduction to the wild Helping the Environmental Agency- Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) and Sahara Conservation Fund return the extinct-in-the-wild scimitar-horned oryx to Chad Supporting the development of the Termit & Tin Toumma National Nature Reserve in Niger, the largest protected area in all of Africa Center for Conservation in Western Asia Using radio telemetry to study viper spatial ecology and habitat preferences Forging a multi-national coalition to address population declines of Armenian vipers and other species Championing expansion of reserves and establishment of a sanctuary and national park Armenian viper Camels in Kenya Institute for Conservation Medicine Addressing the challenge of growing interconnections between human and animal health Studying box turtle health and movement in the St. Louis area and tortoises within and outside Galápagos National Park Developing outreach and education programs to save turtles and tortoises Studying endocrine disrupting compounds impact on fish, reptiles and mammals Assessing the health of dromedary camels used for milk in northern Kenya Developing the One Health initiative in the St. Louis area 11

12 12 The total African lion population, estimated at about half a million at the beginning of the 20th Century, now numbers around 20,000.

13 Protecting Species Answering questions about animals foraging behavior may sound like a strange way to save penguins. But tracking animals using electronic tags (biologging) helps researchers determine the direction, distance and depth of penguin foraging trips. Biologging is a new tool to investigate how these endangered penguins and other wildlife are using their marine environment. The results of this study will inform conservationists how to better design marine protected areas, like Punta San Juan, Peru, where one of the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Centers has worked for 15 years to save the Humboldt penguin. Similar studies use telemetry units placed on other top predators, such as fur seals and sea lions. These are only some of the tools WildCare Institute staff and partners use to protect endangered animals. In Madagascar, Zoo scientists provide husbandry and veterinary services and advice, bring supplies and train staff at Parc Ivoloina, where lemurs are protected and bred. Madagascar, the home of unique and globally important species, is a biodiversity hotspot. The Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group (MFG) was formed in 1988 to address Madagascar s loss of animal and plant species at an alarming rate. The Zoo became a founding member of this international consortium of 31 institutions, now including the Perth Zoo, which in 2015 became MFG s newest member. Based at the Saint Louis Zoo, MFG in 2015 led a consortium of conservation groups in developing a plan to eradicate a potentially catastrophic menace a plague of invasive toxic Asian toads. From directly poisoning wildlife to affecting international trade, these amphibian invaders have the potential to wreak havoc among Madagascar s people and beloved animals. Toad-eating animals ranging from fossas to mouse lemurs can die directly from eating these poisonous invaders. But the impact ranges across the food chain as Asian toads outcompete other animals for resources. Researchers, students and communities are now testing capture and trapping techniques and possible chemical control methods to rid the island of the toads. Also in Africa, the WildCare Center for the Conservation of Carnivores is working with Conservationist Dr. Amy Dickman in Ruaha National Park in south central Tanzania, where 10 percent of lions left in Africa now live. Having disappeared from Southwest Asia and 22 countries in Africa, lions, which were estimated at about half a million at the beginning of the 20th Century, now number around 20,000. The Ruaha Carnivore Project works with its partners to gather baseline data on carnivore numbers and ecology and to reduce human-carnivore conflict by educating the villagers on the value of lions in their lives. In Peru, the Center for Conservation in Punta San Juan and its partners participated in the 13 th comprehensive census of the entire Peruvian Humboldt penguin population. The 2015 census showed that the number of penguins continues to grow; however, it is still a tiny percentage of the population first discovered in the beginning of the 19 th century along the same coastline. This year, the Center also tested the use of drones as a potential tool to count penguins in areas that are hard to reach and see. The Center has purchased two drones for use in future years. Using drones helps scientists more closely determine estimates of an entire penguin population. The Center also initiated the primary steps in establishing the first distance learning center in a Peruvian protected area. Once developed, the learning center could reach thousands of classrooms throughout Peru and the world. 13

14 Finding the Answers Turtles are serving as sentinels for health issues in humans. That s right. A chemical found in Missouri s rivers and streams can influence the sex organs of developing turtles, making males more like females so reported a group of researchers from the Zoo s Institute for Conservation Medicine (ICM), the University of Missouri, Westminster College and the U.S. Geological Survey. To address the challenges associated with the growing interconnections between the health of humans and the animal kingdom, ICM focuses on research like this to determine the consequences for both humans and animals. Turtles are perfect creatures for this type of study because their sex is determined by the temperature of the environment during their development in the egg. In 2015, a Zoo, university and government research team published findings that show the synthetic chemical Bisphenol A or BPA, which is known to mimic estrogen and disrupt hormone levels in animals can alter a turtle s reproductive system after exposure in the egg. On another campus, research scientists continue to try to find the host for avian malaria. At the University of Missouri-St. Louis, scientists test the thousands of blood samples students and their leaders have gathered from birds on the Galápagos Islands. In the Parker Lab (named for Dr. Patricia Parker who directs the Institute s Center for Avian Health in the Galápagos Islands), the search for the diseases that are killing birds there has become even more urgent. This disease poses a major threat to the native bird populations on these islands where the isolated location, volcanic activity and tropical currents combine to create nature s own laboratory. Studied by naturalist Charles Darwin, these islands are home to species found nowhere else in the world. There scientists work with park officials to protect native wildlife threatened by a range of factors from human contact that introduces new diseases to climate change. The Parker Lab scientists published articles are helping the Galápagos National Park craft management policy to conserve these beautiful birds for future generations. Meanwhile, ICM continued to forge links with universities to promote One Health the understanding that the health of animals and people and the viability of ecosystems are inextricably linked and that only with scientists from multiple disciplines working together can we protect the health of all species and the environment. In 2015, medical, veterinary and ecology students came to the Saint Louis Zoo to talk about health with the thousands of visitors who typically come to see animals on a Saturday in spring. With Zoo staff members, these young scientists from around the world stand before a range of other creatures to tell everyone from young to old about a concept that extends back to ancient times, now expressed in a single phrase: One Health. 14

15 The Institute for Conservation Medicine works with turtles, which serve as sentinels for health issues in humans. 15

16 16 This lowland nyala is a relative of the mountain nyala that Institute-supported conservation and research are working to save in Ethiopia.

17 Educating Future Scientists Armed with a Ph.D. in biology and years of conservation research experience, Dr. Levon Aghasyan arrived in St. Louis, Missouri from Armenia in late 2015 seeking yet more knowledge. Funded by a Fulbright Scholarship, he is spending eight months learning vital husbandry techniques at the Saint Louis Zoo. Shadowing Zoo animal professionals will help this experienced scientist run Armenia s first conservation breeding facility dedicated to saving that nation s endangered reptiles. The WildCare Institute s Center for Conservation in Western Asia is supporting creation of this facility to help save amphibians and reptiles that are vital to Armenia s culture and ecosystem. Thirty of the nation s 58 species are listed as threatened. Eleven are declining rapidly. Without human intervention, they could go extinct. Another bright young scholar also came to St. Louis from afar thanks to a collaborative scholarship program funded by the Saint Louis Zoo and the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Dr. Fidisoa Rasambainarivo is a Ph.D. candidate studying conservation science in the University of Missouri-St. Louis graduate program. He followed Allonso Busalleu, from Peru, who earned a master s degree in 2013 through the same program. Dr. Rasambainarivo is a Malagasy veterinarian who has worked a number of years with the Zoo, the Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group (MFG) and the WildCare Center for Conservation in Madagascar. Young students are introduced to the importance of saving species simply by visiting the 1,371-acre Forest Park where the Zoo is a major attraction. The WildCare Institute s Center for Conservation in Forest Park staff works with teachers interested in providing a field trip experience aimed at helping children better understand and care for native Missouri wildlife. The Center for Conservation in the Horn of Africa supports an organization called MELCA-Ethiopia (Movement for Ecological Learning and Community Action). In 2015 MELCA-Ethiopia celebrated the 10th anniversary of its annual Mountain Nyala Day, where thousands gathered to learn about the need to conserve this species through drama, poems, songs and exhibits. Historically, the mountain nyala roamed throughout the highlands of southeast Ethiopia, but its numbers have dropped significantly as a result of human encroachment, agriculture and sport hunting. In Ethiopia a decade ago, the Bale Mountains National Park was established, and now more than 70 percent of remaining mountain nyala live there. With support from the WildCare Institute, MELCA- Ethiopia was able to initiate a park program called SEGNI (Social Empowerment through Group and Nature Interaction). SEGNI strengthens the school s environmental club activities and creates an effective outreach to thousands who live near mountain nyala. In 2015, the Institute for Conservation Medicine (ICM) marked the third year students tracked box turtles in Forest Park and at Washington University in St. Louis Tyson Research Center. ICM documents box turtle movements and their health status in urban and rural areas to better understand environmental factors affecting turtle, other wildlife and human health. ICM is also connecting young people in St. Louis and the Galápagos Islands through a common interest in conserving box turtles and iconic giant tortoises. 17

18 Heading Home Picture this: A group of teens willingly paired and notched hundreds of beetles hard wing covers and then on a hot June day on a prairie in Southwest Missouri, dug holes and placed the carcass of a quail and a pair of notched beetles in each cavity. The Center for American Burying Beetle Conservation, working with nearly a dozen members of the Zoo ALIVE teen volunteer program, reintroduced this endangered species for the fourth year bringing to 1,500 the total number of beetles that have been reintroduced to that prairie. Since 2012 and again in 2015, the Institute s Ron Goellner Center for Hellbender Conservation worked to augment populations of the endangered Ozark hellbender. Working with the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Center has released more than 2,115 head-started hellbenders into Missouri rivers. In 2015, the 7th Biennial Hellbender Symposium, co-sponsored by the Center and the Missouri Department of Conservation, attracted 116 scientists from all over the world. Saint Louis Zoo staff, who were responsible for the world s first captive breeding success in 2011, were instructors for sessions on hellbender husbandry, egg incubation and early stage larval rearing and propagation techniques for endangered hellbenders. Since 2009, the WildCare Institute s Saharan Wildlife Recovery Center, in partnership with Sahara Conservation Fund (SCF), has been quietly working toward one of the most ambitious wildlife reintroductions ever: the return of scimitar-horned oryx to the wild, nearly three decades after their extinction. This antelope once roamed the breadth of Africa s sub-desert belt, but now exists only under human care in zoos, private collections, and a few small fenced reserves in Tunisia, Morocco and Senegal. Relentless pressure from overhunting, drought and habitat loss caused the last wild remnants of oryx to vanish in Chad in At SCF s request, Saint Louis Zoo staff attended the initial planning session in United Arab Emirates (UAE) to identify potential release sites and sources for oryx, as well as to outline the logistics necessary for success. The Zoo also funded the participation of Chadian delegates and later helped underwrite a stakeholders meeting within the Republic of Chad itself. The reintroduction, led by the Environmental Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) in UAE, was inspired by the conservation legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed, ruler of UAE. Now under the guidance of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of EAD, 25 captive-born scimitar-horned oryx have been transported from UAE to the Republic of Chad. When the rainy season begins in September, these animals will be fitted with satellite telemetry collars and released to roam wild over the full 77,950 square kilometers of the reserve, an area larger than the state of South Carolina. Data collected about animal movements, associations and habitat use will be used to fine-tune future oryx releases and maximize their successful adaptation to the wild. In 2015, the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) honored the Saint Louis Zoo and its many partners with the AZA International Conservation Award, for their collaboration to create and support SCF. The first-ever non-governmental organization dedicated exclusively to conservation in the Sahara and surrounding Sahel, SCF is recognized worldwide as a model for a zoo-driven conservation movement. 18

19 Scimitar-horned oryx, long extinct in the wild, were recently reintroduced to their natural habitat in a game reserve in Chad thanks to help from the WildCare Institute. 19

20 20 An Institute-supported organization, Grevy s Zebra Trust, is working to save this species which has declined to fewer than 2,200 in the wild.

21 Coming Together By some estimates, wildlife trafficking is the fourth largest international crime and is almost as lucrative as transporting and selling illicit drugs. In the face of horrific animal losses from poaching and habitat destruction, conservationists are fighting back by turning to local communities for help. For more than a decade, the Center for Conservation in the Horn of Africa has helped multiple organizations provide both education and opportunity to help native people play a role in protecting endangered animals in their homelands in Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. One of the Center-supported organizations, Grevy s Zebra Trust (GZT) is working to save a species that has declined to fewer than 2,200 individuals in the wild. In Kenya, GZT enlists community support and trains community-based field teams (scouts, ambassadors and warriors) to monitor multiple regions to protect this species. In 2015, the Center supported a law enforcement workshop to combat poaching by offering its local teams training at the Kenya Wildlife Services Law Enforcement Academy in southern Kenya. Academy experts joined with local police to train the residents in new conservancies so that members of these communities could help stop poaching. The Horn of Africa Center also strongly supports Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT), which for more than a decade has helped an ever-increasing number of communities establish conservancies, set up democratic management structures and attract conservation and development funds. The largely pastoralist communities practice natural resources management and nonviolent conflict resolution. They also develop tourism and naturebased enterprises. The number of NRT conservancies has moved from 6 in 2004 to 33 in Also in 2015, NRT worked with the Kenya Wildlife Service and Lewa Wildlife Conservancy to expand black rhino habitat and increase rhino populations; 20 rhinos were moved to a sanctuary within Sera the community marking the first time in East Africa a local community has assumed responsibility for the protection and management of the endangered black rhino. NRT also announced in 2015 a 75 percent increase in the number of the world s rarest antelope, the hirola. There are now 83 hirola in the predator-proof Ishaqbini Hirola Sanctuary. Closer to home, the Center for Native Pollinator Conservation is working state-wide with the Missourians for Monarchs Collaborative to develop and implement a Missouri-wide conservation and action plan for monarch butterflies and pollinators. Since 2014, the Center has now planted over 24 miles of pollinator and monarch-friendly roadside habitat in partnership with the Missouri Department of Transportation. This Center is also working with the Monarch Collaborative, a group convened by the Keystone Policy Center to identify and implement solutions to address the declining monarch butterfly population, while meeting agricultural productivity and habitat conservation goals. This organization is supporting cultivation of additional milkweed (where monarch butterflies lay their eggs) and creating nectar sources in rural areas. The collaborative is also promoting awareness among a range of audiences about how farmers, ranchers and land owners can support, conserve and enhance habitat to ensure a sustainable monarch population. The Center has distributed over 1,500 milkweed plants with Monarch Watch for local restoration programs, and in 2015, began to work overseas when it was awarded a grant to develop a comprehensive biodiversity inventory of bee pollinators and their associated flora in Amboseli National Park and the surrounding agro-ecosystems in Kenya. Kenya is one of seven nations singled out by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to identify practices and build capacity for better managing pollination services. 21

22 The WildCare Institute Also Supports: The Institute has supported many organizations since its founding in Here is a summary of 2015 activities for some of those organizations. Andean bear Andean Bear Conservation Alliance. Andean bears are an important flagship species for the unique and fragile Tropical Andes ecosystem, the richest and most biologically diverse region on earth. Currently listed as vulnerable, the species faces a number of threats including habitat reduction and fragmentation, high mortality caused by humans and insufficient scientific knowledge on the distribution, threats and trends in bear populations. Since 2012, the WildCare Institute has supported the Andean Bear Conservation Alliance. It was established in 2011 by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. The Alliance has been working to produce an accurate and updated assessment of the distribution and status of the remaining Andean bear populations. From 2011 to mid-2013, Alliance activities focused on conducting research, building capacity in communities near bear habitat and developing monitoring techniques using occupancy estimators. From mid-2013 to 2015, these tools have been applied in five natural national parks and surrounding areas in Colombia. By 2015, there were four institutions involved in the Alliance Wildlife Conservative Society, Cleveland Metroparks, the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute and Global Conservation Connections. Ecuadorian Amphibians. With the world s amphibian populations in drastic decline, the Institute has long supported the amphibian conservation and sustainability initiatives of Luis Coloma, Ph.D. Dr. Coloma founded Centro Jambatu de Investigacion y Conservation de Anfibios (Jambatu Center for Research and Conservation of Amphibians) in Centro Jambatu s staff and students manage over 24 species of amphibians, 15 of them listed as critically endangered. Eleven of the 15 have reproduced at Centro Jambatu making their assurance population of amphibians one of the most significant and largest in 22

23 the western hemisphere. Saint Louis Zoo Zoological Manager Mark Wanner routinely goes to Ecuador to assess the strength of amphibian populations in the wild and provide advice on husbandry techniques for amphibian species. Ecuador is unique in having 70 percent of the world s flora and fauna species within its boundaries, including 448 known species of amphibians. Rising temperatures, habitat destruction and the spread of the deadly amphibian chytrid fungus have wiped out multiple amphibian species in recent years. Amphibian chytrid fungus has quickly spread across the planet; it affects amphibians skin a vital organ they use for drinking and breathing. Scientists are working to find a cure for this deadly disease because amphibians play such a vital role in the Earth s ecosystems. Elephants Asian and African. Elephants are endangered in both continents due to loss of habitat, human-animal conflict and poaching. The WildCare Institute supports the work of the International Elephant Foundation, which fosters partnerships to provide longterm support to wildlife programs around the world. Since 2004, the WildCare Institute has provided more than $320,000 to Asian elephant field work, supporting projects in Sumatra, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Cambodia. In Africa, the long-term survival of elephants is inextricably linked to the support of local communities that share the land with this species. Involving local communities in the ongoing work to protect and monitor elephants and raise awareness of the benefits of elephants to the local economy and ecosystem are critical for success. The WildCare Institute and other accredited institutions and donors support the Northern Rangelands Trust in building community conservancies to protect elephants. Okapi Conservation. The Saint Louis Zoo is a participant in the AZA s Species Survival Plan for okapi the endangered tropical rainforest ungulate that is an iconic species for Democratic Republic of the Congo and as elusive as it is beautiful. The Institute supports the Okapi Conservation Project, begun in 1987, to secure a protected area for okapi in the wild, while preserving the biological and cultural dynamics of the Ituri Forest. The International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group has announced a 10-year strategy to combat threats to okapi. The strategy focuses on protecting okapi in core habitat, namely the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, which occupies one fifth of the Ituri forest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The reserve has come under threat in recent years and continues to be plagued by political instability in the region, making it difficult to assess the strength of populations in the wild. The new global strategy provides a clear roadmap for joint action to bring okapi back from the brink of extinction, tackling the threats of poor security and economic impoverishment to focus on specific actions to better manage and monitor okapi. African elephants are the focus of Northern Rangelands Trust, which the WildCare Institute supports. 23

24 Golden white-eye The Pacific Bird Conservation Program. Since 1994, the Saint Louis Zoo has been a member of this conservation program (formerly known as the Mariana Avifauna Conservation Program). This collaborative effort, that includes U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the regional Department of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources and several AZA zoos, has focused on the development of captive protocols for six threatened and endangered bird species and the translocation of three species from Saipan/Tinian to two conservation islands within the archipelago. In 2015, two Saint Louis Zoo bird keepers traveled to the Mariana Islands chain to continue work on the Pacific Bird Conservation Program. They worked with other zoo professionals to translocate Tinian monarchs and Saipan bridled white-eyes from Tinian to the conservation island of Guguan. Partula Snail Reintroduction. In 2015, one of the most ambitious Institutesupported initiatives involved a snail. Almost 30 years after going extinct in the wild, 243 Partula snails were returned home to the Papehue Valley on the Tahiti island of French Polynesia. These rare snails, raised in zoos across the world, were all descendants of snails collected in Tahiti in 1984, when three scientists realized that some of the species of Partula snails in that area had vanished. They were victims of a predator snail introduced by humans. In 1988, the Saint Louis Zoo became a leader in creating a breeding plan to save these snails, and the Zoo contributed 140 individual snails to the shipment of 243 that went in 2015 to London Zoo. There they received a thorough health screening, before being placed on a flight to Tahiti. The snails were greeted with fanfare and a ukulele tune as field scientists headed to a reserve to reintroduce them. It was noted that of all the species shipped, the Saint Louis Zoo snails, the Partula nodosa, were the ones that fared best on the journey from London to Tahiti. Polar Bear Conservation. Concerned about the rising threats to polar bears in the wild, the WildCare Institute forged a partnership with Polar Bears International (PBI) a non-profit organization dedicated to worldwide conservation of the polar bear and its habitat. Partula snails 24

25 The WildCare Institute has been actively involved with PBI in providing education programs to inspire, inform and empower people to make a difference by reducing carbon emissions that contribute to climate change. Typically, educational programs happen on International Polar Bear Day each February. However, in 2015, the Institute helped fund production of video journals created by Alaska native youth, whose Iñupiaq and St. Lawrence Island Yupik cultures live with, and rely upon, polar bears. In June 2015, the Saint Louis Zoo opened McDonnell Polar Bear Point featuring an Alaskan orphan bear. Interpretative features for Polar Bear Point include the videos developed by the Alaska Native youth who through interviews with community members tell the story of life in their villages. The Institute has also supported a PBI maternal den study conducted by scientists on the Alaska North Slope to document the denning behavior of polar bear mothers who are choosing to den on land, possibly sensing that the sea ice is too unstable for their dens. PBI scientists are observing bear mothers and cubs to determine when they emerge from their dens, how long the families remain at the den sites before heading to the sea ice to hunt seals and how sensitive they are to disturbances. Study results help wildlife managers and governing authorities develop plans to protect and preserve polar bears for future generations. Kali, our rescued polar bear 25

26 How is the WildCare Institute Funded? Fulfilling the WildCare Institute s ambitious mission to Create a sustainable future for wildlife and for people around the world, requires not only a great deal of work, but financial support, as well. Support for the Saint Louis Zoo s WildCare Institute includes not only our passion for conservation, but funding to pursue critically important activities. The WildCare Institute has five primary funding sources; two were new in 2015 the Animals Always Gala and Make Change for Conservation. It is important to note that none of the funds for the WildCare Institute come from tax revenues contributed by St. Louis City and County residents and distributed by Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District. The Institute s financial support comes from the following sources: $750,000 The harvest from the endowment that was created in 2003 by a $16,000,000 gift from the Saint Louis Zoo Friends Association (now the Zoo Association). An additional anonymous $100,000 gift plus unspent WildCare funds from the first four years of the Institute s operations have been added to the endowment. Therefore, a base of $16,450,000 has grown to a value of $20,589,962. $350,000 Proceeds from the Mary Ann Lee Conservation Carousel go to conservation. Through her generous donation to build the carousel, Mary Ann Lee s gift has not only delighted thousands of children of all ages, but it has also supported field conservation around the globe. $105,000 Donations from individual donors and foundations are used to support either general or specific Center donors requests. Notable donations include an anonymous donor for American burying beetles and the Edward K. Love Conservation Foundation s support for hellbender breeding and conservation. $ 84,000 Make Change for Conservation offers Zoo guests an opportunity to donate an extra dollar to support conservation with every purchase. The program was budgeted for $70,000, but generated $84,000 thanks to the diligent work of the Saint Louis Zoo s front-line staff in food service and in the gift shops and the generosity of our visitors. $ 67,000 The inaugural Animal Always Gala to benefit the WildCare Institute was held on October 8, This event was budgeted to generate a net of $25,000, but thanks to generous underwriters and attendees, the final amount that came to the WildCare Institute was $67,000! 26

27 Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Income Expenses 6% 4% 1.1%.9% 1.7% 4.7% 8% 4% 7.4% 25% 57% 80.2% Endowment Make Change for Conservation Direct support for conservation activity Director Support Carousel Donations Overhead to Zoo Graduate Student Gala Conservation Memberships Other Program support 27

28 How the WildCare Institute allocates its resources: $1,087,100 Over 80 percent of the WildCare Institute s budget goes for direct support for conservation activity in the field, or directly related to the field; e.g., breeding hellbenders for release. These funds support the conservation centers, in addition to conservation of Ecuadorian amphibians, Asian elephants, okapi, Marianas avifauna, Andean bears and others. $100,000 When the WildCare Institute was established, each Conservation Center director was expected to spend 25 percent of his or her time managing a center. This percentage amounted to a total of $100,000 in salary costs. However, that amount does not include the salary of the WildCare Institute Director or other staff support. $67,000 Conservation memberships reflect the Zoo s and WildCare Institute s membership in and support for conservation organizations. Examples include the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG), the International Elephant Foundation and the Conservation Federation of Missouri. $54,500 Program support includes evaluation workshops ($5,000), marketing ($17,000), small equipment for field work ($4,000), a part-time assistant for the WildCare Institute Director ($20,000), support for a genetics lab ($4,000), visiting scientist support ($2,000) and phone and postage costs ($5,000). $23,500 This includes start-up funding for a conservation technology initiative ($20,000) and support for the Saint Louis Zoo s Conservation Award ($3,500). $14,500 WildCare Institute Director support includes membership fees in professional organizations and travel expenses. $12,500 This item covers 50 percent of the funding needed by a graduate student at University of Missouri-St. Louis, who is connected to one of our Conservation Centers (see page 17 for a discussion of these scholarships). The other 50 percent comes from a generous gift by Anna Harris to the Harris World Ecology Center. This funding currently supports a scholar from Madagascar (see page 17). 28

29 Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine Income Expenses 6.4%.5% 2.4% 39.7% 40% 90.1% 16.7% 3% Zoo Operating Donations Travel Support Grants Partners Membership Conservation Science 29

30 Endowed Funds Support Conservation Across the Globe WildCare Institute Fund In 2004, the Saint Louis Zoo moved its conservation efforts to a new level with the establishment of the WildCare Institute. To help fund the Institute s operations, the Saint Louis Zoo Friends committed $19 million $3 million for the first four years of operations and $16 million to the Zoo Endowment Trust for ongoing support. Additional funds have been generated from ridership on the Mary Ann Lee Conservation Carousel and gifts and grants from individuals, foundations and corporations as well as non-profits and our conservation partners. The Zoo anticipates the WildCare Institute s endowment will continue to grow along with the program s important work through additional outright and deferred gifts. Since its establishment, the WildCare Institute has invested $1 million per year in local, national and international conservation projects. Maxine Clark and Bob Fox WildCare Institute Fund Maxine Clark and Bob Fox decided to establish an endowed fund for the WildCare Institute because they wanted to support its outstanding work and leadership in wildlife conservation and conservation medicine. If we want healthy human beings, we need healthy ecosystems, said Bob Fox. Animal, plant and human health are interconnected, and all are critical to maintaining biodiversity and the web of life on our planet. Bob Fox s interest in the WildCare Institute grew as he served on the Zoo Board of Trustees from He is involved in a number of other local and national organizations, focusing most of his energy on improving access to health care and educational opportunities for immigrants and other underserved populations. Fox is the founder and board chairman of Casa de Salud, a not-for-profit health and wellness center for new immigrants that opened its doors in 2010 and serves thousands of patients each year. Bob was the 2011 recipient of the St. Louis Award for outstanding service to the development of the city. The couple are entrepreneurs at heart, first in business and now in the community. Bob Fox founded NewSpace Closet Interiors in 1984, the first of its kind in the St. Louis region. Maxine Clark is well known as the founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop. Under Clark s leadership, Build-A-Bear Workshop has grown to more than 400 stores worldwide. In addition to its retail success, the company has been recognized for several years as one of FORTUNE s Best Companies to Work For. In June 2013, Maxine Clark stepped down from her role as Chief Executive Bear to focus her entrepreneurial skills and passion on improving K-12 education and helping women and minority entrepreneurs grow their businesses. She serves on a number of corporate and nonprofit boards, including Teach for America, Washington University, Nine Network of Public Media, Beyond Housing, and Parents as Teachers. Susan W. Dexter Conservation Fieldwork Fund For more than 30 years, Sue Dexter was a dedicated Saint Louis Zoo volunteer and supporter. She and her husband Phil both started out in the Emerson Children s Zoo. Phil was the one who really enjoyed being a docent, Sue said, and I was more interested in travel and seeing animals in the wild. For many years Sue served as co-chair of the Zoo Travel Committee 30

31 with fellow volunteer Hazel Darlington. She also contributed to the Institute for Conservation Medicine and the Center for Conservation in the Horn of Africa. Not only did Sue Dexter help plan and coordinate Zoo-sponsored travel adventures, she went on a number of trips herself to Kenya, India, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Tanzania. Through her bequest gift to the Zoo, Sue s Conservation Fieldwork Fund was created within the Zoo s Endowment Fund to help pay for staff travel expenses. Her endowed fund is a tremendous resource for the WildCare Institute and our efforts to save animal species and their habitats. Sue Dexter died in May 2015, but her love of wildlife continues on through her family and her endowed fund. The Dexter family s support is also recognized at a drinking fountain given in Phil s memory in the Emerson Children s Zoo and with a bench at the Edward K. Love Conservation Foundation Cypress Swamp exhibit in the 1904 Flight Cage. Harvard K. Hecker African Wildlife Conservation Fund Mrs. Patricia G. Hecker and her family have endowed a named fund in memory of her late husband, Harvard K. Hecker, to honor his love of African wildlife and commitment to conservation. As an endowed fund providing support in perpetuity, the Harvard K. Hecker African Wildlife Conservation Fund will benefit the WildCare Institute s work in Southern and East Africa. The future of the Zoo s conservation efforts in Africa will be all the more sustainable because of the Hecker family s $750,000 named fund. The Heckers visited Africa more than 10 times, with Mr. Hecker filming hours of safari adventures. Their vote of confidence and financial support to the Zoo s conservation mission has been consistent over the years, complemented by their rich legacy of volunteer leadership. Most recently Mrs. Hecker chaired the Animals Always Gala with former Zoo Director Charlie Hoessle. As conservation advocates with a deep love for African wildlife, the Heckers have trusted the Saint Louis Zoo to carry forth their legacy well into the future. Site manager Maimounatou holds a red-necked ostrich chick at the Kelle, Niger Ostrich Recovery Center, founded by the Saharan Conservation Fund, which has been working to save the ostrich for years. 31

32 2015 Honor Roll Major Gifts $249,999 - $100,000 Estate of Sue Dexter Edward K. Love Conservation Foundation Special Gifts $50,000 - $25,000 Elizabeth Green Kansas City Zoo Mr. Rex & Dr. Jeanne Sinquefield Zoological Society of San Diego $24,999 - $10,000 Mrs. Ann L. Case Chicago Zoological Society Columbus Zoological Park Association Conservation Endowment Fund Grant - Association of Zoos and Aquariums Disney Worldwide Services, Inc. Mrs. Patricia G. Hecker Pat Jones Lemur Conservation Foundation Mrs. Maurita E. Stueck Weiss Foundation $9,999 - $5,000 Brevard Zoo Detroit Zoological Society Mr. & Mrs. Drew Franz Mrs. Karen A. Goellner Dr. Virginia Hermann Jacksonville Zoological Society San Francisco Zoological Society Seneca Park Zoo Society Mrs. Anita M. Siegmund $4,999 - $2,500 Akron Zoological Park Kaye A. Campbell-Hinson & Phillip D. Hinson Dickerson Park Zoo Duke University Mrs. Maureen K. Hamilton Mark & Becky Humphrey The Phoenix Zoo Ms. Ingrid J. Porton Reid Park Zoological Society Sacramento Zoological Society Sedgwick County Zoological Society, Inc. South Carolina Aquarium Mr. Clarence A. Zacher $2,499 - $1,000 Michael T. & Patricia T. Abbene Mr. A. Dale Belcher Mrs. Walter F. Brissenden Mr. & Mrs. Bill Dennler Mr. & Mrs. William Forsyth Mr. & Mrs. Harvey A. Harris Mr. & Mrs. Charles H. Hoessle Mark & Becky Humphrey Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth A. Johnson Stephen C. & Jody C. Jones Mrs. Deborah S. Manne Dr. Charles I. & Mrs. Frances R. Mannis Dr. Todd Margolis Maryland Zoological Society, Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Patrick J. Moore James L. & Lisa W. Nouss Novus International, Inc. Frederick Pitzman Fund Rosamond Gifford Zoo Mr. & Mrs. William C. Rusnack Safari West, Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Scott Schoettley William T. & Darlene Skaggs St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park St. Louis AAZK Stoneage Arts Inc. Mrs. Sarah Trulaske Thomas A. & Betty Tyler Mr. & Mrs. Virgil Van Trease Mr. & Mrs. Mahlon B. Wallace, III Woodland Park Zoo The John R. Woods Foundation $999 - $250 American Association of Zookeepers Little Rock Chapter Ms. Kathryn A. Aschenbrenner Mr. & Mrs. Scott Bazoian Mr. & Mrs. Richard E. Beumer Ms. Elizabeth A. Biddick Ms. Nancy Birge & Dr. Patrick Osborne Penelope A. Bodry-Sanders Ms. Vicki L. Brown Build-A-Bear Retail Management, Inc. Michael W. & Joyce E. Bytnar Ms. Karla Carter Mr. & Mrs. James F. Conway Mark A. & Barbara E. Doering Mr. & Mrs. Derick L. Driemeyer Mrs. Michael Farroll William M. & Julie M. Gerlach Dean A. & Nancy C. Graves Dr. & Mrs. Gordon L. Haycraft Mr. & Mrs. J. Philip Hellwege Mr. & Mrs. Thomas A. Hutton Edward W. & Kay Jastrem Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Jones Mr. Steven B. King James L. & Mary Kroll Diane & Dane Kull Kent P. & Kathleen E. Lannert Mr. & Mrs. James P. Leonard Joseph O. & Carolyn Losos Dr. Jay & Dr. Susan Marshall Ms. Judith A. McNamara Mr. & Mrs. Charles L. Merz Ken & Angie Nettleton Omaha Zoological Society Ms. Lois Raimondo Mr. & Mrs. Jerry E. Ritter Ms. Andrea P. Schankman Dr. Robert R. & Mrs. Marsha A. Schlueter Annemarie & Matt Schumacher Scottish African Safari Park Ms. Linda Shahinian & Mr. Herb Schiff Dr. Keith J. & Mrs. Virginia L. Smith Edward A. & Viola J. Striker Mr. & Mrs. Grenville G. Sutcliffe Ms. Patricia Taillon-Miller Ms. Sarah Terrace & Mr. Alfred Henneboehle Mr. Lyle Timmerman Virgil & Sandra Van Trease Washington University in St. Louis Ms. Deborah K. Werner Timothy J. & Carol A. Wilson 32

33 Gala, Crowdfunding Initiative and Change for Conservation Exceed Expectations Gala, A Major Success The inaugural 2015 Animals Always Gala attracted more than 200 guests who contributed more than $67,000 to the WildCare Institute and its programs. The evening included a strolling supper reception, an auction and an inspirational presentation by Joel Sartore photographer, speaker, author, teacher and 20-year contributor to National Geographic magazine. Sartore s assignments have taken him to every continent and to the world s most beautiful and challenging environments. Simply put, he is on a mission to document endangered species and landscapes to show a world worth saving, and at the Gala he offered background information about the logistics and the inspiration for his impressive collection of photographs that focuses on vanishing species. His impassioned plea to join him in protecting and saving these endangered animals was answered by Gala attendees who bid on a variety of auction items and contributed through the fund-a-need board. First Venture Into Crowdfunding In October 2015, the Zoo launched its first-ever crowdfunding initiative to help the WildCare Institute Center for Conservation in Western Asia and its partners purchase and repurpose an existing structure in Yerevan, Armenia, to breed imperiled species of reptiles and amphibians (see story on Page 17). Several thousand dollars were raised to help renovate the structure, expected to open in mid Make Change for Conservation Exceeds Expectations In 2012, the Saint Louis Zoo announced a program to involve its 3.2 million annual visitors in supporting conservation. With signs headlined Make Change for Conservation, the Zoo asked visitors to add $1 to their purchases at participating gift shops and food service locations. Donations to the Make Change for Conservation program directly benefit the WildCare Institute. The program was budgeted to raise $70,000 in 2015 it raised $84,000! National Geographic Photographer Joel Sartore was the keynote speaker at the Gala. 33

34 Conservation Partners/Grants A truly unique international collaboration has been formed that brings an unprecedented level of conservation. WildCare Institute Partners number over 180. Below are partners for each of the 13 centers for the year The Center for American Burying Beetle Conservation The Missouri Department of Conservation Missouri Department of Transportation The Nature Conservancy Roger Williams Park Zoo U.S. Army (Fort Chaffee, AR) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service United States Forest Service The Center for Avian Health in the Galapagos Islands Charles Darwin Research Station Des Lee Professorship in Zoological Studies at the University of Missouri-St. Louis The Galápagos Conservancy Galápagos National Parks Genetics, Pathology, Epidemiology Laboratory of Galápagos Leeds University Nature Study Center, University of Vilnius, Lithuania The Peregrine Fund The Swiss Friends of Galápagos The Zoological Society of London The Center for Conservation of Carnivores in Africa Ruaha Carnivore Project Tanzania Carnivore Program Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute Tanzania National Parks Association The Zoological Society of London Cheetah Conservation Fund, Namibia Cheetah Conservation Botswana Action for Cheetahs Kenya Kenya Wildlife Service Endangered Wildlife Trust South Africa Painted Dog Conservation Zimbabwe Wildlife Conservation Society The Center for Conservation in Forest Park Academy of Science Forest Park Forever Missouri Department of Conservation Saint Louis Art Museum St. Louis Department of Parks Washington University in St. Louis 34 The reintroduction of the American burying beetle involves a range of volunteer groups who place the carcasses of quails, with a pair of notched beetles in each cavity, in the earth. The Center for American Burying Beetle Conservation completed its fourth reintroduction at a Southwest Missouri prairie, where 1,500 beetles have now been reintroduced.

35 Ron Goellner Center for Hellbender Conservation Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Missouri Department of Conservation Missouri State University Missouri University of Science and Technology U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service University of Missouri-Columbia. Center for Conservation in The Horn of Africa AZA Antelope & Giraffe TAG, Conservation Grant Fund, Equid TAG, Grevy s Zebra SSP Brevard Zoo Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Communities of northern Kenya Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Program Grevy s Zebra Trust Isaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy IUCN Antelope Specialist Group, Equid Specialist Group Kalama Community Wildlife Conservancy Kenya Wildlife Service Liz Claiborne-Art Ortenberg Foundation Merrill Lynch Minnesota Zoo Northern Rangelands Trust MELCA-Ethiopia Phoenix Zoo Princeton University Reid Park Zoo Reid Park Zoo Teens Sacramento Zoo San Diego Zoo Global St. Louis AAZK Chapter University of Oslo University of Wyoming Wildlife Conservation Network Zebra Pen The Center for Conservation of the Horned Guan (Pavon) in Mexico Africam Safari Park/Mexico AZA Galliformes Taxon Advisory Group BirdLife International The Cloud Forest Ambassadors Program Instituto de Ecologia The International Committee for the Conservation of the Horned Guan and its Habitat IUCN: The Cracid Specialist Group The Nature Conservancy Fundacion Natura Institute for Conservation Medicine Charles Darwin Foundation Ecology Project International ESF State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Forest Park Forever Fontbonne University Galápagos National Park Houston Zoo International Livestock Research Institute Max Planck Institute for Ornithology Mpala Research Centre Saint Louis University School of Medicine Tyson Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis United States Geological Survey University of Missouri Columbia College of Veterinary Medicine University of Missouri Columbia Masters of Public Health Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis Westminster College The Center for Conservation in Punta San Juan, Peru Acquario di Cattolica, Italy Akron Zoo Alteris, Netherlands Areas Costeras y Recursos Marinos (ACOREMA) AZA Humboldt Penguin SSP AZA Penguin Taxon Advisory Group The Brookfield Zoo Centro Para La Sostenibilidad Ambiental Colchester Zoo, Britain Dallas Zoo Harewood Bird Garden, Britain The Harris World Ecology Center Heredia University Kansas City Zoo Moody Gardens Sedgwick County Zoo Woodland Park Zoo 35

36 36 Milkweed for Monarchs a St. Louis City-sponsored initiative to stop the decline of monarch butterflies has involved planting milkweed in gardens across St. Louis. The Center for Native Pollinator Conservation is deeply involved in this project. Monarch butterflies cannot survive without milkweed; their caterpillars only eat milkweed plants.

37 The Center for Conservation in Madagascar Madagascar Fauna Group Missouri Botanical Gardens University of Antananarivo University of Missouri St. Louis Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center University of Missouri - Columbia (Veterinary College and Animal Nutrition Department) University of Tamatave Washington University in St. Louis Thirty-one Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group member Institutions in addition to the Saint Louis Zoo: Managing Members ($10,000/year) Cologne Zoo Duke Lemur Center Lemur Conservation Foundation Missouri Botanical Gardens Naples Zoo Perth Zoo San Antonio Zoo San Diego Zoo Taipei Zoo Zoo Zurich Zoological Society of London Sponsoring Members ($5000/year) Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Greenville Zoo Indianapolis Zoo San Francisco Zoo Utah s Hogle Zoo Zoo Leipzig Contributing Members ($2500/year) Akron Zoo Allwetter Zoo, Munster, Germany Cango Wildlife Ranch, South Africa Dickerson Park Zoo (Springfield, MO) Isle of Wight Zoo (UK) Seneca Park Zoo (Rochester, NY) South Carolina Aquarium The Living Rainforest (UK) Tropical Butterfly House (UK) Ueno Zoo (Tokyo, Japan) Friends of the MFG (<$2500/year) Maryland Zoo Milwaukee County Zoo Sacramento Zoo Wellington Zoo (New Zealand) The Center for Native Pollinator Conservation Ameren Missouri Chicago Zoological Society (Brookfield Zoo) City of Florissant, MO City of Saint Louis, MO Forest Park Forever Gateway Greening IUCN SSC Bumble Bee Specialist Group Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi Kenya Kenya Wildlife Service Missouri Botanical Garden Missouri State Beekeepers Association Missouri Department of Conservation Missouri Department of Agriculture Missouri Department of Transportation Museum of Natural History, London National Museum of Kenya (Nairobi, Kenya) North American Pollinator Protection Campaign Pollinator Partnership Saint Louis University The Nature Conservancy Tohono Chul Park (Tucson, Arizona) University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Department of Entomology USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Logan Bee Lab The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation Saharan Wildlife Recovery Center Saharan Wildlife Recovery Center AAZK-Dallas Zoo AAZK-Kansas City Zoo Abilene Zoo Addax & Oryx Foundation Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort AZA Conservation Endowment Fund AZA Ratite Advisory Group AZA Antelope & Giraffe Advisory Group Bamberger Ranch Preserve Berlin Zoo Beyond Motion Productions Brevard Zoo Bronx Zoo Brookfield Zoo Buffalo Zoo Calgary Zoo Chester Zoo Cincinnati Zoo Convention on Migratory Species Dachser Logistiks Disney s Animal Kingdom Dublin Zoo Emirates Center for Wildlife Propagation Erie Zoo 37

38 European Union Exotic Endeavors Exotic Wildlife Association Fonds Français pour l Environnement Mondial Fossil Rim Wildlife Center Fresno Chaffee Zoo Gilman International Conservation Houston Family Houston Zoo IGF John Ball Zoo Kansas City Zoo Kolmarden Zoo La Fondation Internationale pour la Gestion de la Faune Le Pal Zoo Lisbon Zoo Living Desert Longleat Safari Park Los Angeles Zoo Marwell Wildlife Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund Mulhouse Zoo Nashville Zoo North Carolina Zoo Nurnberg Zoo Oklahoma City Zoo Oregon Zoo Peace River Wildlife Refuge Philadelphia Zoo Plzen Zoo Republic of Tunisia Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure Sacramento Zoo Safari Enterprises Safari West Sahara Conservation Fund Saint Louis AAZK Saint Louis Zoo Docents San Antonio Zoo San Diego Zoo Global Sedgwick County Zoo Smithsonian National Zoological Park Steadfast Engineering Stuttgart Zoo The Living Desert Toledo Zoo The Wilds WAZA West Midlands Safari Park WildCRU Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium Woodland Park Zoo Zoo Atlanta Zoo d Amneville Zoo de la Palmyre Zoo Hannover Zoo Miami Zoo New England Zoo Osnabrück Zoo Praha Zoo Zlin Lesna Zoological Society of London The Center for Conservation in Western Asia The Ministry of Nature Protection Republic of Armenia National Academy of Sciences Republic of Armenia Scientific Center of Zoology and Hydroecology The Russian Academy of Sciences 38

39 You Can Help As you have seen through this report, the Saint Louis Zoo s WildCare Institute has accomplished a great deal in This vital work has been undertaken and completed through strategic partnerships, staff expertise, and passionate donors. We simply could not have done it without your help brings new opportunities to protect wildlife in wild places. Old threats remain, and new challenges must be addressed if conservationists across the world are to succeed in saving threatened species and vulnerable ecosystems. All of us have been entrusted to preserve and safeguard these animals and their habitats today and for future generations. Together we have the chance to make a lasting investment in preserving unique species and their native environments. By using the enclosed response envelope, you become a champion for conserving wild things in wild places. The WildCare Institute offers you an opportunity that many others do not a way to support programs that help save wildlife directly and cost effectively. It also offers many choices: You can give to a species that caught your eye, a story that made sense, or a Conservation Center that connected with your desire to see things made right for an animal, an ecosystem or our world. Your gift to the Saint Louis Zoo s WildCare Institute will make a difference today and for future generations. For more information on contributing to the work of the WildCare Institute, please visit stlzoo.org/wildcare or contact the Zoo s Development Office at (314) Photos by Kyle Ulmer, Saint Louis Zoo Zoological Manager of Pinnipeds, traveled to Punta San Juan, Peru to participate in pinniped health assessments on wild South American sea lions and fur seals. Nine sub-adult male sea lions and eight fur seals were immobilized and examined during the project. 39