Educational news for schools & teachers at Old MacDonald’s Farms for Schools in Essex & East London

Old Macdonald got an email the other day from David Field, who is chair of BIAZA (British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums) as well as Managing Director of ZSL (London and Whipsnade Zoo to you and me) and wanted to share it with you. A lot of people confuse us with London Zoo, which is a bit bigger and includes a few more animals with long necks and big teeth, but nevertheless we are also a Zoo as well as a farm. This celebrates an award to Miranda Stevenson who is the Director of BIAZA.

Then below he found this article in the Guardian, which sums up what we all strive for in this business (apart from Old Mac himself who strives to make a few more pounds for his “Save an Old Farmer from Poverty” campaign and is of particular interest to us as we, with your help, fund the Wildlife Heritage Fund who successfully bred Amur Leopard cubs as you can find on other of our website news.

Photos below show Miranda and David as well as the Amur Leopard. No prizes this time for working out which is which!

First, David’s email about Miranda:

It gives me great pleasure to offer sincere congratulations to Miranda for the award of an OBE for services to wildlife and conservation in the 2012 New Year’s honours.

Over the last 25 years zoological gardens and aquariums have undergone a renaissance. From primarily being centres of entertainment they have transformed into powerful instruments of conservation and education. This change has been led by some amazing and dynamic individuals and included in these is Dr Miranda Stevenson.

Miranda has been a driving force in this evolution of zoos, she has demonstrated best practice, led by example and where necessary by inspiration. She has been instrumental in raising the standards of British zoos to become some of the best in the world and then advocating these advances in the European and indeed the global zoo forum.

In her role as Curator of Edinburgh Zoo, Miranda began to employ techniques to dramatically raise the care and welfare of zoo animals. Miranda also fostered and encouraged her staff to share this knowledge and Edinburgh Zoo became a beacon of best practice. It was also during this time that Miranda began to become involved with the formation of international cooperative breeding programmes for endangered species. Although Miranda’s speciality was primates her knowledge and foresight was able to transcend taxa.

Miranda’s present role as Director of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquaria has been an ideal platform to continue her mission to improve zoos and raise the contribution of zoos to science and conservation.

Miranda has encouraged and welcomed new members to the Association and assisted their development with close mentoring and advice – whether this has been at the institution level or indeed the individual level. Many of us in senior positions in British zoos (myself in particular) are indebted to the guidance of Miranda Stevenson early in our careers.

Miranda Stevenson is an architect of modern zoo philosophy and practice. She has inspired many people and achieved remarkable advances in zoo biology and zoo conservation.

BIAZA President, Sir Drummond Bone says “‘this is a most well deserved honour, and reflects not only all the work which Miranda has put into our community over the years, but the progress she has made in raising the profile of zoos and aquaria generally.”

EAZA Chairman and former BIAZA Chair Simon Tonge says “Miranda has been a great colleague and inspiration to the UK zoo community over many years and I am delighted that she has been recognised by the award of an OBE. It is richly deserved’

So please join with me in sending our congratulations to Miranda – I am sure we will all raise a glass or two in due course !

My best wishes to you all for a successful 2012 – it has started pretty well!

David

David A. Field

Zoological Director.  Zoological Society of London

Chair. British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA)

Chair.  ISIS

Now, the Guardian on Amur leopards:

Endangered Amur leopards from UK zoos could soon be heading to Russia as part of a captive breeding and release programme to save the big cat.

There are estimated to be just 25 to 35 Amur leopards left in the wild in the far east of Russia, with numbers driven down by poaching of both the cat and its prey and damage to its habitat from activities such as logging and forest fires.

But experts are hoping to reverse the fortunes of the rarest big cat in the world with a programme using animals bred from captive Amur leopards.

A multinational scheme to reintroduce the species, which would run alongside efforts to protect the existing wild population, has so far failed to secure the necessary funding, but the Russian government has backed a Moscow-based programme.

Experts from organisations including the UK’s Wildlife Vets International are working with the Russian scheme, which has established a captive breeding centre on the edge of the territory where it is planned leopards will be released.

Leopards will be mated and rear cubs at the centre, with the young fed live prey to allow them to learn how to hunt before they are released into the wild at around 12 to 18 months old – the time they would normally leave their mothers.

Dr John Lewis, veterinary director of Wildlife Vets International and veterinary adviser to the Amur leopard European captive breeding programme, said the centre could start receiving leopards in a few months’ time.

Lewis said UK wildlife parks and zoos could contribute animals to the scheme once the European breeding programme was confident that the centre in Russia was suitable for the project.

Some improvements, such as better security, were needed first, he said.

Lewis has also developed a disease risk assessment to see what conditions may pose significant problems to Amur leopards, and a screening programme to ensure a healthy captive population with genetic diversity.

The plan is to rotate different animals through the Russian breeding programme so that the released young will be genetically diverse.

To begin with, the reintroduced population will be kept separate from the existing wild population to avoid conflict between cats and the risk of spreading disease.

It may be many years before the scheme can be judged to have been successful, but Lewis believes the programme could help with conservation management of other cat species.

“The Amur leopard is facing a situation which may face a number of other big cats in the future, with populations which become so low that in the blink of an eye it could be extinct,” he said.

“A lot of lessons we learn in trying to manage this will be applicable to a much wider range of cats in the future.

“The more we learn about the whole process, on disease risk assessment and management and release, the more we will be in a position to help a wider range of cats.”

At present all the world’s nations are meeting in Durban to try and get a new international treaty on carbon emissions and Old Macdonald was keen to find out what it is all about. He thinks that the only international treaty to set down legally-binding curbs on carbon emissions is hanging by a thread. More and more advanced economies say they will not renew their pledges after the first round of commitments expires at the end of 2012 because the world’s biggest polluters remain outside these constraints.

That leaves the EU in Durban as the only bloc willing to renew its vows – provided the top two emitters, China and the US, endorse a “roadmap” to a comprehensive climate pact by 2015. Without a second commitment period, Kyoto would still exist as a treaty but it would be operationally gutted. Its collapse would send a devastating signal about the climate process ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Rio Summit where the forum was born.

But some experts say the treaty’s labyrinthine rulebook and 1990s-era distinctions between rich and poor countries should be ditched. Kyoto could be cannibalised and its useful parts incorporated into a new approach, they argue.

Climate finance

At the 2009 Copenhagen Summit, developed nations committed to creating a Green Climate Fund that will disburse, by 2020, at least $100bn per year to help poorer nations fight and cope with climate change. The Durban meeting will seek to resolve problems on the Fund’s design.

Developing nations want more money for adapting to climate change rather than keeping emissions down, and favour the creation of a UN-controlled fund to distribute the money. Rich nations, though, prioritise emissions mitigation, and prefer using existing channels such as the World Bank. Another issue is whether to endow the Fund with a specific source of revenue, such as a tax on aviation and shipping fuels, a global financial transaction fee and auctioning of carbon emissions allowances.

Most of $30bn in Copenhagen’s “fast-start financing” for 2010 – 2012 has been pledged and a good portion of it disbursed. Still unclear is how climate financing will build up to the $100bn-per-year-target, starting in 2013. The 2008 global financial crisis and the looming threat of further recession is making this task hard.

Forests

Forests are “sinks” that soak up nearly a third of carbon emissions each year. Loss of forests is also a powerful addition to the greenhouse-gas problem. The UN-backed scheme known as Redd+ – Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation ‘Plus’ – allots credit to tropical countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa that slow rates of forest destruction. It also provides a mechanism for rich countries to offset their own carbon-reduction commitments by investing in that process.

Environmental groups say a portion of the Green Climate Fund should be earmarked for Redd+, which will require $15bn to $40bn to implement, according to different estimates. They also call on the UN body to set a 2020 target for reversing the net loss of forest cover. Neither goal will be easily achieved.

Emissions compliance

A question since the Copenhagen Summit is how to make voluntary national cuts in greenhouse gas emissions measurable, reportable and verifiable – “MRV”, in UN climate lingo.

Progress has been stymied by a reluctance by developing countries to be subject to the same scrutiny as developed ones under the UNFCCC’s two-tier system of accountability.

Rich countries say that emerging giants will account for the lion’s share of emissions in the future, which means the “MRVs” have to be credible. The US, in particular, is insisting on common standards in oversight.

So Old Macdonald will tell you that this is a very complicated subject. It is all very well those of us living in comparative comfort in Europe to expect those living in rainforest areas to stop cutting back trees, but the forest provides their only real source of income and they want to have the right to have decent roads and transport links and to grow crops to raise money.

However all of you can do something in your own lives, because loss of animal life is not just a thing that happens “over there” so take care with your gardens and plant flowers that are friendly to bugs as they feed birds and birds spread seeds, all part of the Circle of Life, and also cut back on pesticides. Then you can make sure any wood you buy is from sustainable sources (those that are not from endangered areas), and of course re use and recycle as much as you can. If everyone in the world did something, between us we would achieve a lot. Even Old Mac helps, he recycles his money, and his jokes too.

Old Macdonald popped down to Hopefield on Sunday to visit their annual Christmas open day, and found that patron of the Brentwood animal sanctuary Leona Lewis had worked very hard with the committee there to arrange a wonderful day out for everyone. The place was packed, and more than this Leona has raised tens of thousands of pounds for this important place with a sponsored walk, a Carol concert and much more.

After the sad loss of Ernie Clark, founder of Hopefield, as well as Paula who passed away two years ago, Old Mac was a bit worried as to how everyone would carry on their wonderful pioneering work, but having seen this he can rest easy. In fact Old Mac has in the past raised funds and given prizes to help them raise funds, and he is now wondering whether maybe they could give him a donation.

Well done to everyone at Hopefield and here is to a great 2012.

In 2012 a priority for Old Macdonald is to get his farm to be even better for access for all, including special training sessions for staff and a review of all our facilities to improve accessibility. We always welcome those with special needs, and in particular schools, with our price rates and staff support.

So when we came across the Private Eye cartoon featuring one of M.C. Escher’s fantastic etchings of the everlasting stairs, and if you have not seen this before do study how clever it is and look at Escher’s other work on the internet, with the addition of a local authority officer saying “Mr Escher we must talk to you about disabled access” it really tickled our fancy and thought we would share it with you.

Old Macdonald found the following article in the Guardian on 17th November and wanted to share it with you. If you have visited our Bull Frog Trio none of this will come as a surprise to you, but it is very worrying and something about which we should all think. Congratulations to Camila Ruz from the Guardian for writing this clear article.

If the current rapid extermination of animals, plants and other species really is the “sixth mass extinction”, then it is the amphibian branch of the tree of life that is undergoing the most drastic pruning.

In research described as “terrifying” by an independent expert, scientists predict the future for frogs, toads, newts and salamanders is even more bleak than conservationists had realised.

Around half of amphibian species are in decline, while a third are already threatened with extinction. But scientists now predict that areas with the highest diversity of amphibian species will be under the most intense threat in the future.

And they warn that a three-pronged threat could also cause populations to decline faster than previously thought.

Like many creatures, amphibians have been hit hard by climate change and habitat loss. But they have also been decimated by the spread of the deadly fungal disease chytridiomycosis.

One in three of the world’s amphibians are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list of endangered species. These include the Malagasy rainbow frog that lives in the rocky forests of Madagascar. It has the ability to inflate itself when under attack and can climb vertical rock faces. Found in an area smaller than 100 square kilometres, it is a prime target for the pet trade.

The Chinese giant salamander is also critically endangered. The largest of all amphibian species, it can grow to more than a metre long. Overexploitation for food has led to a catastrophic decline in the last 30 years.

European species are also threatened. Scientists predict climate change, habitat destruction and disease could drive more than half of all Europe’s frogs, toads and newts to extinction within 40 years.

Now the largest study of its kind has found that it is in areas where amphibian diversity is at its highest that the greatest threat lies.

Researchers led by Dr Christian Hof, from the University of Copenhagen, used computer modelling to predict the impact of climate change, the effect of habitat loss from urbanisation and farming and, finally, the fungal disease on amphibian populations.

“What we found looking at climate change, for example, is that many tropical regions, such as northern South America, the Andes and parts of Africa, will be highly impacted,” said Hof. The team then compared this map of impact with the global distribution of more than 5,500 species of amphibians.

The results, published in the Journal Nature, show that two-thirds of the areas with the richest diversity of frog and salamander species will be affected by one or more of these threats by 2080.

Scientists also found that some of the threats overlapped.

The regions where amphibian populations are expected to suffer most from climate change tended to overlap with the areas that could suffer most from habitat destruction. The fungal disease, on the other hand, was more isolated.

“What we still have not really understood is the mechanistic interaction between them, like how does land use change or the fragmentation of habitats influence the potential responses of a species to climate change,” said Hof.

Overlapping threats could mean that estimates of the rate of amphibian decline are too optimistic and that populations could decline even faster than previously thought.

Helen Meredith, amphibian conservationist at the Zoological Society of London (fellow BIAZA members with Old Macdonald himself) said: “Looking into 2080, it seems there will be more extinctions of species of amphibians, which is terrifying as a third of all amphibian species are threatened with extinction now.

“Data is deficient for a quarter of them, which means we don’t know whether they are threatened with extinction or not and about half of all amphibian populations are in decline. And that is just what is happening at the moment.”

So Old Macdonald wants you to think about what you can do, and we can all start by changing the way we live our lives, such as being more careful with wasting the world’s resources as small changes can make a lot of difference if done by many people.