Great Big Rhino and Gorilla Owners Project Update 2018

Transcription

1 Great Big Rhino and Gorilla Owners Project Update 2018

2 Great Big Rhino and Gorilla Owners Project Update 2018 A message from Simon Tonge Is there a more complicated issue in the conservation world than rhinos? Maybe; but I really can t think what it is. Despite the efforts of many people over many years, the demand for rhino horn in Asia has not declined and the risks to the populations of wild rhinos in Africa and Asia are as great as ever. However, before compassion fatigue sets in we should acknowledge that there have been recent successes in the fight to save these extraordinary creatures. Poaching levels in South Africa have levelled off, albeit they are still too high: massive jail sentences and fines have been levied on the poachers and the criminal gangs that control them: and no Javan rhino has been poached for nearly 20 years. The challenge now, is whether we can take those stabilisations and turn them into an upward trend. There is plenty of room in the world for more rhinos; the challenge is to get them into the right areas and then provide the security they need to do what comes naturally. that gorilla populations are slowly being cut off from each other, and each of these fragmented populations may simply be too small to sustain a population of gorillas into perpetuity. The Cross River gorillas, in Nigeria, to which we provided support in 2015, is a classic case in point, where our contribution was directed towards maintaining a wildlife corridor between two core habitats. More such support is likely to be needed in the future. Hopefully this little newsletter will give you some insight that the help you have given is making a difference, and you should be proud. Simon Tonge Executive Director, Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust In some ways, gorillas provide us with an equally perplexing challenge. They are affected by poaching, but not on an industrial scale like rhinos. It s much more likely to occur as local conflict with people over access to land. No, the real problem is that gorilla habitat is slowly and inexorably being turned into farmland, and even the reserves and parks set aside for them are being encroached upon. The result is

3 Rhino conservation through the Dambari Wildlife Trust, Zimbabwe Part of the money raised from The Great Big Rhino Project was used to support the rhino conservation work of our long term partner the Dambari Wildlife Trust (DWT) in western Zimbabwe. DWT uses our funding to support the rangers of the Matopos National Park to manage their populations of black and white rhinos in several ways. One of the most exciting is by monitoring the rhinos using a network of camera traps. Rhinos are regularly photographed by the traps and can be recognised by their unique ear notch markings providing huge amounts of information on individuals and their movements to the rangers. DWT also organises and supports the annual rhino management operations in the Matopos National Park. In 2017 six rhinos were aneasthetised, all were dehorned to deter poachers and four were ear-notched to allow identification and monitoring. Two animals also required the removal of snares but luckily had sustained no serious damage. As part of the National Rhino Policy and Management Framework operations for 2018 may include the first translocation of white rhino into the Matopos National Park since 1986 to bolster genetic diversity. Poaching data shows that rhino populations in the Matopos are the safest in Zimbabwe which we believe is at least partly due to the support the rangers in this park receive from DWT and it is vital we continue to help with this work. Cross River Gorillas, Nigeria In 2014, The Great Gorillas Project donated 28,000 to the Wildlife Conservation Society s Nigeria Program (WCS) for the conservation of the Cross River gorilla. We chose to support this most critically endangered of gorilla subspecies as we have a long history of undertaking conservation in Nigeria. In 2017 the traps picked up a baby black rhino that the rangers were unaware of which was brilliant news. Unfortunately, towards the end of the year three of the cameras were stolen. They would be worth very little to anyone else so the worry is that they are being stolen for the information they contain, especially as there was an increase in snares found at the same time in those areas. The Cross River runs along the southern border between Nigeria and Cameroon and its surrounding forests are home to the last 300 Cross River gorillas. One of the most important areas is the Mbe Mountains, a community-owned wildlife sanctuary that has around 30 gorillas and forms a link between the two nature reserves that protect the rest of Nigeria s gorillas.

4 The sanctuary is managed by the Conservation Association of the Mbe Mountains (CAMM) with support from WCS. Since CAMM was established, there has been no further poaching of gorillas in the area thanks to the patrols undertaken by eco-guards who are employed from each of the nine communities that own the forest. intervening villages. Instead of killing or harassing the gorilla, the villagers reported his presence to WCS and helped monitor his movements until he returned to the forest. The fact that a gorilla was brave enough to leave the sanctuary and the local communities were not hostile is a strong indicator that the conservation projects supported by our campaign are being successful. Silverback gorilla Eco-guards inspect giorilla nest The money raised by The Great Gorillas Project was used to help fund these patrols (salaries, rations and equipment) and run conservation clubs for children in the local villages. Additionally, it funded the permanent demarcation of the community reserve boundary and construction of a central office for CAMM. CRG Conservation Club An incident in late 2017 highlights the positive effects of community engagement for conservation. A young male gorilla left the Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, which neighbours Mbe, and took up residence several kilometres away near to two Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, Paignton Zoo, Living Coasts and Newquay Zoo are education, scientific and conservation charities dedicated to protecting our global wildlife heritage. Registered charity numbers: Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust Paignton Zoo and Newquay Zoo Living Coasts

5 Helping protect Javan rhinos with the Great Big Rhino Project are comparable in size to the black rhino, though only a few animals have actually been weighed. They typically weigh between 900 and 2,300 kg. Javan rhinos are usually solitary, except for females with small calves, or during courtship. Occasionally young animals may form pairs or small groups for some time. Javan rhinos spend up a large part of the day wallowing in mud holes. You can watch a rare footage of a Javan rhino filmed on a camera trap at the Ujung Kulon National Park (credit: International Rhino Foundation). The Great Big Rhino Project was a huge success, raising 30,000 for Save the Rhino International to protect critically endangered Sumatran and Javan rhinos thanks to the generosity of the Rhino Club bidders. 100% of the fundraising donated to Save the Rhino International was restricted to two essential programmes: the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary and the Javan Rhino Study and Conservation Area, with Save the Rhino International s programme partners Indonesian Rhino Conservation Programme (YABI) and the International Rhino Foundation (IRF). Your support is helping with the expansion of the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary to double its holding space, and activities to tackle invasive plant species that are affecting the food availability and the habitat for Javan rhinos in Indonesia. Protecting Javan rhinos Javan rhinos are considered to be one of the rarest large mammals in the world. There are an estimated Javan rhinos left in a single population in Ujung Kulon National Park in Indonesia. Javan rhinos Javan rhinos at risk With such low numbers concentrated in one area, Javan rhinos are at risk to the effects of a natural disaster, such as volcanic eruptions from the nearby active volcano Anak Krakatau or the possibility of a resulting tsunami, or the spread of disease. Although the population is believed to be stable, it likely has reached its carrying capacity in the current habitat and considered not to be able to grow without intervention. It was recognised that a second viable Javan rhino population would be needed to be established in another area of Indonesia. The population in Indonesia would need to grow

6 to create the 4,000 hectare Javan Rhino Study and Conservation Area (JRSCA), as a first stage towards developing a second habitat for a Javan Rhino population. The JRSCA was set up to help understand Javan rhinos and consider the safest ways to manage and translocate Javan rhinos. Alongside the JRSCA, Javan rhinos are monitored and protected by the UKNP Park Authority, WWF Indonesia, and Yayasan Badak Indonesia (YABI). There have been no recorded poaching instances of Javan rhinos since Your support to help tackle tackle invasive plant species The Javan rhino s diet is characterised by high species diversity. Hundreds of food plant species have been recorded, but about 40% of the quantity of food eaten comes from a few preferred and common plant species. The rhinos eat mostly leaves, young shoots and twigs. Most of the plants eaten by rhinos grow in unshaded locations, in vegetation without tall trees, gaps created by fallen trees, and shrubland without trees. Javan rhinos can eat up to 200 different plant species, but many of these plant species are in competition with the invasive Arenga palm. The Arenga palm is fast-growing and can dominate the lowland forest canopy and limit plant growth along the forest floor. This year the funds generously received from Paignton Zoo and other donors are being used to help YABI to clear the Javan Rhino Study and Conservation Area of the invasive plant species. This is helping towards the longterm conservation and management of the Javan rhino, and their habitats in Indonesia. In 2017, with financial support from Paignton Zoo and Save the Rhino International and other donors with IRF and YABI, the JRSCA has already started clearing the Arenga palm and created 5,000 hectares of additional protected habitat for the Javan rhino population. A huge thank you! On behalf of the team at Save the Rhino International, thank you to all the Rhino Club members and Paignton Zoo for your fantastic support in helping protect Javan rhinos! If you missed the last Owners Club event, please click here to view a video To find out more about Save the Rhino International (UK registered charity ), please visit Photo credits Save the Rhino