Wild About! Elephants August 19, 2017

Transcription

1 Wild About! Elephants August 19, 2017 At a glance Through Zoo-wide efforts we will dedicate an entire day to bringing awareness to the plight of the elephant and how we can make a difference right here in Maryland. Materials Any elephant-related activities and biofacts provided by the education department. Posters and promotional materials provided by Marketing or the keeper department. Goal(s) 1. To bring awareness to the ongoing plight of the elephant, and highlighting the role Maryland Zoo plays in elephant research and conservation. 2. Provide relevant action steps the general zoo guest can accomplish, therefore allowing participants to feel hopeful and capable of making a difference. Objectives 1. Participants will learn why elephants are important to their ecosystem. 2. Participants will define keystone species. 3. Participants will investigate the amazing adaptations of elephants. 4. Participants will be learning what steps have already been taken in elephant conservation and how we can continue forward. 5. The entire zoo will work as a unit to show how wild we are about elephants. Theme Wild About Elephants Day is an opportunity to celebrate the conservation successes in both captivity and in the wild. Sub-theme(s) 1. Together we must stop the killing, stop the trafficking and stop the demand. 2. Be like an elephant and be the keystone species in our own environment. 1

2 Background Today the world s largest land mammal is in crisis. With the Asian elephant classified as Endangered and the African elephant listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, it is clear that a global conservation initiative is needed to save these amazing animals. Illegal hunting and habitat loss are having a big impact on elephants. Between 2002 and 2013, the Central African forest elephant population dropped 65% and its range shrank 30%. Some populations of savannah elephants have also suffered major losses: in Tanzania and Mozambique, recent surveys show their numbers have dropped by 60% and 40%, respectively, in the past five years. Illegal hunting to feed the ivory trade has led to about 100,000 elephants across Africa to be killed between 2010 and 2012 or one every 15 minutes (that s 96 elephants a day). The disappearance of elephants from the savannah would lead to an ecosystem breakdown. Elephants play a critical role as ecosystem engineers, and are often referred to as keystone species. They maintain the mineral-rich clearings in the forest, on which other species rely, and provide a way for important soil nutrients to be spread around at a continental scale. Due to their herbivorous nature, they fill the important niche of seed disperser. By spreading seeds and providing natural fertilizer, elephants help to maintain the largest tree species, which in turn is essential in carbon sequestration. Therefore, by focusing conservation efforts around this keystone species, we can help to maintain ecosystem processes and ensure healthy biodiversity. In order to ensure a world where people and ecologically functioning populations of elephants can coexist and thrive across the elephant s range, the Wildlife Conservation Society has identified five major strategies: Prevent illegal killing Protect elephant habitat Monitor elephant numbers, poaching rates, and threats to elephant habitat at key sites in African and Asia Reduce ivory trafficking Reduce demand for ivory A number of ongoing initiatives have been effective in reaching these goals. Some successes include the U.S. government banning the sale of ivory in 2016, and China promising the same just months later (these two countries are the largest importers of ivory.) In 2016, the END Wildlife Trafficking Act was passed. It is the most significant U.S. anti-wildlife trafficking legislation ever and it sends a powerful message to world leaders. Other great successes include spreading the word through petitions to calls to legislators to yoga and even origami. The following activities will dive deeper into the elephant s role as a keystone species, and the successful conservation initiatives in place. Use this Wild About Elephant s Day to celebrate the work that is being done at the Maryland Zoo and abroad, and to find new ways that we can be ambassadors for the elephant. Vocabulary Keystone species-a species that has a major influence on the way an ecosystem works. Prehensile- capable of grasping Savannah- a grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions with few trees Habitat- environment where an organism lives throughout the year or for shorter periods of time Endangered- a species seriously at risk of extinction Vulnerable- When used in the context of the IUCN Red List, a taxon is classified as Vulnerable when facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future (IUCN, 2001). Poach- to hunt, trap or fish illegally Conservation- management of a natural resource to prevent exploitation, destruction or neglect 2

3 Activities Elephant Overlook Elephants and Underground Water Key Idea(s): Living things exist within complex relationships in ecosystems Concept(s): Interdependence- keystone species Objective: Participants will explore the elephant s amazing sense of smell and how it relates to their role as a keystone species. Background: African elephants are considered keystone species in drought-ridden habitats of Africa. Keystone species are species which are an important cog within an ecosystem because they perform a valuable service that other organisms within that ecosystem cannot. Elephants perpetuate the important grasslands of savannah areas by knocking down and eating invading trees. They also are capable of locating and digging to underground water sources during drought conditions. Without elephants, grazers would not have as many areas to feed and all animals might perish in severe drought conditions. The trunk of an African elephants is an amazing tool. Not only can they lift things with them, but can smell and carry water with them. Not surprisingly, the sense of smell of an African Elephant is several hundred times better than even a dog s. The long nostrils provide a tremendous amount of surface area for olfactory cells. While an elephant doesn t drink through its nose it can suck up and carry up to three gallons of water with it. When it wants to drink, it sucks the water into its trunk and squirts it into its mouth. They can also shower themselves in water while bathing. - Plastic Buckets - Brown construction paper - Blue construction paper - Film canisters with cotton balls and scents - Bio facts piece of elephant tusks Level 1 (all ages) - Discuss droughts and how animals find water. Explain to participants that elephants can actually smell water with their trunk and their status as keystone species. Discuss the way elephants drink. Level 2 (all ages, younger children might need to be guided) - Direct participants to the buckets and have them smell the scent canisters. If there is a scent, participants can dig out the water container. (I usually just act out the digging). If not, they shouldn t try because elephant would not waste energy digging in place where there is no water. Try to end on a conservation note! Encourage the kids to make smart decisions regarding their water usage! Water conservation is a really easy way that kids can play an active role in helping their local community! Easy ways to conserve water is turning off the faucet while we brush our teeth or using refillable water bottles! 3

4 Who s That Elephant? Key Idea(s): The Maryland Zoo is part of a cooperative network of zoos and aquariums Concept(s): Zoos play an important role in conservation research Objective: To practice identifying elephants just as the keepers would by observing individual differences. Background: In exhibits that include more than one of any given species, it can often be difficult to tell one animal from another. It is important that keepers are able to distinguish between individuals to ensure that everyone is in good health. By being able to identify them, keepers can track how each animal is eating, drinking and if they are acting normally. It is especially imperative when annual vet exams occur! One way keepers and Zoo visitors can distinguish between members of a species is the overall size of an individual, - Poster board with pictures of our elephants - Hot dot pen Level 1 (all ages, younger children will need to be guided) Explain the benefits of being able to identify our animals from all angles! Encourage participants to practice their observation skills by trying to guess which photo belongs to the specific elephant. For each elephant, the participant can try to ID the elephant via their rear end- encourage participants to notice difference in tail length and color. Use the hot dot pen to check answers. The pen should light up green and chime when the correct dot is touched with the pen. Level 2 (all ages, younger children will need to be guided) - After learning how to recognize each elephant, have the participants practice identifying the elephants in the yard. What other differences can they see? Try to end on a positive note! There are things we can all do to help save endangered wildlife! Just by coming to the zoo is a great way to help support elephant conservation and research efforts. Penguin Coast Elephant Jenga Key Idea(s): Humans are a part of the web of life; the Maryland Zoo is part of cooperative network of zoos and aquariums Concept(s): human-wildlife conflict; zoos play an important role in conservation research Objective: Although the future for elephants may seem quite bleak, there have been a number of conservation success stories that can give us hope. Background: African elephants were historically found south of the Sahara Desert to the south tip of Africa, from the Atlantic (western) coast of Africa to the Indian Ocean in the east. Currently populations are found in increasingly fragmented habitat throughout the same range, often primarily in and near wildlife reserves and protected area dues to poaching and habitat 4

5 destruction. It is important that we help maintain whatever populations remain for elephants help to control the tree population, such as the acacia, from taking over the grassland and turning the savanna into a forest. With the tree populations maintained, grasses are able to thrive and are able to sustain grazing animals such as antelopes, wildebeests, and zebras. Smaller animals such as mice and shrews are able to burrow in the warm, dry soil of a savanna. Predators such as lions and hyenas depend on the savanna for prey. Elephants are the keystone species that maintain the entire savanna ecosystem. There are currently a plethora of ongoing conservation initiatives that have been successful in decreasing human-elephant conflict. - Jenga set - Elephant cards Level 1 (all ages) - Set up the Jenga blocks on a level surface and explain to participants that the point of the game is to remove the blocks without knocking any of the others down. If the blocks fall down, that means that the elephant population has fallen down as well. Have participants read a playing card from the card pile and follow the directions given on the card. Participants should only take blocks from below the top three rows and place blocks that they have pulled back on top of the tower. Level 2 (all ages) - Once the tower falls down, switch to the second set of playing cards: these represent ways that we can help build the elephant population back up. Although the tower is not as high as it was originally, at least it still exists. Try to end on a positive note! There are things we can all do to help save endangered wildlife! We can show appreciation to those living in coexistence with elephants through 96elephants Thank a Ranger campaign! Direct guests to the table to make cards to be sent to the rangers in Africa that dedicate their lives to protecting these amazing animals from poachers. Chimp Forest Is this Sustainable? Key Idea(s): Humans are a part of the web of life Concept(s): Human effects on the environment, sustainability Objective: Discover how our consumer habits can have a positive impact on ecosystems far away. Background: Palm oil is found in many of our everyday products including food, detergents, cosmetics and even biofuel. Increase in demand has led to clear-cutting of essential rainforest habitats and unsustainable farming practices. Asian elephants in particular are facing new threats with the expansion of palm oil plantations. As the elephants former forest homes are cut down, they lose their source of food, water and shelter. In addition, palm oil plantations increase human activity in the former elephant habitats. As people are expanding and building villages on and near the land once occupied by elephants, human-elephant conflicts are on the rise. However, there is a way that the palm oil industry can flourish without destroying rainforests or harming communities and endangered animals: sustainable palm farming. The 5

6 Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) works hard to label and identify products that use palm oil sustainably. The Palm Oil Shopping Guide App produced by Cheyenne Mountain Zoo can help you shop with confidence. You can check if the product you are about to purchase is "orangutan friendly" (or in our case elephant-friendly) and R.S.P.O. certified by scanning the product s barcode. The database contains 5,000+ products from 100's of consumer product manufacturers. Use the app to select alternative products to those which are not certified by searching for a product type or ingredient. ipad with Sustainable Palm Oil App common household products paper and crayons Level 1- Explain to participants that many animals homes are being cut down to make way for palm oil plantations. While not inherently bad, we do use palm oil in a lot of our everyday products, not all farms are using sustainable practices. Ask if they know what sustainable means. Tell them that there is a way that we can find out if the products that we use are sustainable or not! Pull out the ipad and show them the Sustainable Palm Oil app. Level 2 (all ages, younger children may need to be guided)- Using the scanner feature, have the participants help you scan common items, and discover if it was made with sustainable palm oil or not. Conservation ask: Encourage guests to become better ethical consumers by downloading the Sustainable Palm Oil app. Our choices as a consumer can have a positive impact on the habitats of our favorite animals including elephants, rhinos and orangutans. Making smart shopping decisions, especially when traveling abroad, can help decrease the demand for items containing ivory! Farmyard Herbivore Coexistence Elephant Key Idea(s): Humans are a part of the web of life Concept(s): Human-wildlife conflict Objective: Participants will learn about human-herbivore conflict and the ways in which we can coexist together. Background: Ranges of animals often extend outside of formally protected areas, and therefore human-wildlife conflict frequently ends fatally for the animals. Many elephant populations share the land with villages, and human-elephant conflict has become an increasing issue. Farmers will clear the shared land for crop cultivation, and as the native vegetation disappears, elephants are forced to search for other sources of food. Browsing of the land by the farmer s livestock has lead to even more habitat degradation and reduction of elephant food sources, often leaving them to raid farmers fields. Each year, elephants have caused millions of dollars in damage, and have even trampled people to death. Elephants are very intelligent creatures, and many have become habituated to many strategies employed by the farmers, such as banging drums and fire. Initial practices such as installing fences, especially electrical, have proved costly and ineffective. However, research has shown that through the utilization of 6

7 beehives and particular crops around the edges of plots, not only do the farmers succeed in warding off the elephants, but they can also pay for the construction costs through the selling of honey and chili peppers in the local markets. And an elephant remembers! Once crop raiding attempt has been thwarted by bees, they are not going to try again. In order for locals to get onboard with conservation, short-term benefits need to be viable and visible. - White board - Animal cut-outs Level 1 (all ages, younger children will need to be guided) Have guests help you to set up the ideal savannah. Placing trees and elephants down first, followed by farmers, all sharing the same space. As you place maize on to the board, remove first the trees, then the elephants. Level 2 (older participants) - Explain that as elephant food sources disappear, herbivores will often turn to crop raiding. And with the elephant s great strength, fences are rarely an obstacle. Discuss the basics of human-herbivore conflict as well as the plight of the elephant. Ask the participants of ways they think humans and elephants can coexist? Have them choose from the remaining pieces for non-harmful ways to discourage herbivores from crop raiding. (These are the beehives, peppers, habitat corridor, cellphone representing gps collar). With every addition, add an elephant back to the board. Try to end on a positive note! There are things we can all do to help save endangered wildlife! We can support our local keystone species: the bee. Just as bees help to protect farms from elephants, bees play an important role as pollinators for our favorite fruits and nuts! Putting up mason bee jar houses in our backyards is an easy way to promote coexistence in Maryland. Resources and Further Reading