January 24th, 2012
The UK Based charity, The Aspinall Foundation, has a long and successful history in the rescue, rehabilitation and release of critically endangered western lowland gorillas in the African countries of Congo and Gabon. To date, the project has rescued and reintroduced over 50 gorillas into wild protected areas across this region. The latest addition to Gabon’s nursery group is named Waly, who was recently handed in to The Aspinall Foundation’s flagship project after her parents were killed by poachers.
Not much is known about Waly’s life prior to her arrival at the foundations care center but it is believed that she spent a few weeks in the hands of hunters before being transferred to POG Zoo Parc in January this year. As with many orphaned gorillas, she was dehydrated and undernourished – weighing only 2.9kg – and would only eat bananas.
Amos Courage Overseas Project Director for The Aspinall Foundation said: ‘Most orphaned gorillas are left to die after their families have been killed. Occasionally orphans are smuggled into major cities and sold to expats who would pay large sums for an endearing gorilla baby. Thanks to the work of The Aspinall Foundation educating expats, this trade has all but dried up. Sadly the bushmeat trade still thrives and the difficulty now is tracking down these orphan gorillas that are usually left to die in remote towns and villages.’
Two year old Waly remained at POG for several months where she was cared for by an expatriate French couple who taught her how to climb trees and find the correct food sources such as fruits and leaves. As she regained her strength they decided to hand her to The Aspinall Foundation’s project in Gabon, Project de Protection des Gorilles (PPG).
Nicolas Bout, Project Director for PPG said: ‘Waly is very affectionate and calm, she loves to play, climb and eat fruits but she is not so keen on the rain and doesn’t like to be alone.’
The Aspinall Foundation, founded by John Aspinall, has been working with the governments of Congo and Gabon to preserve 1 million acres of unique savannah ecosystem across a region known as the Batéké Plateau, which spans both of these countries. Project de Protection des Gorilles (PPG) aims to rehabilitate and reintroduce gorillas to protected areas within this reserve.
Amos added: ‘Waly will have a second chance at a normal life when she is reintroduced to the wild by The Aspinall Foundation.’
The Aspinall Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to conservation and has projects both in the UK and overseas. These projects are entirely funded by the charity and rely heavily on donations. For more information on the various projects and the work of The Aspinall Foundation or to adopt a gorilla from as little as £3.00 per month please visit www.aspinallfoundation.org
Tags: animal charity, aspinall foundation, charity, Congo, conservation, Gorilla, gorillas
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January 10th, 2012
Keepers at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park near Ashford were delighted when local firm Valley Windows UPVC Ltd generously offered to replace the windows in the Malayan tapir house.
Bob Savill Head Hoofstock Keeper said: ‘The windows badly needed replacin, particularly now that we have young Kejutan. The last two winters here have been especially harsh so I am very grateful to Valley Windows for their generosity.’
To mark their appreciation for the replacement windows bosses at the park had a commemorative plaque designed and installed at the tapir house for posterity.
Rob Child, Managing Director of Valley Windows said: ‘We were delighted to be able to help out by replacing the windows in the tapir house at Port Lympne. Now the tapirs can be warm and toasty this winter as these windows are A rated and made in our own factory – nothing is too good for these tapirs. It was very thoughtful of the park management to put up a plaque for us.’
In the wild, the Malayan tapirs live in South East Asia, mainly in Malaysia, Sumatra and Thailand. Tapir numbers are estimated to have undergone a massive decline of over 50% in the last 3 generations. Their decline is directly proportional to the reduction of their habitat: Tropical rainforests which are being destroyed for Oil Palm Plantations to fuel the growing worldwide demand for Palm Oil. Palm Oil is used in hundreds of every day products such as chocolate, bread, oven chips, margarine, biscuits, cakes, sweets and even the supposedly green bio-diesel. Tapir are also under threat from increased hunting.
Tapirs are water-loving animals, and will even seek water for protection if they are in danger; using their long snouts as a snorkel, they can stay submerged for several minutes at a time. The black and white coats of the Malayan tapirs that distinguish them from other species (Brazillian, Mountain or ‘wooly’ and Baird’s Tapir) are also an effective camouflage in a moonlit forest. The enclosures at Port Lympne have been modelled to mimic the Tapir’s natural habitat, including copious foliage and areas of water, and their indoor quarters are heated to a cosy 30°C!
Bob said: ‘Kejutan is the newest addition to our collection, it is imperative that the tapir house is kept at a comfortable temperature for him and the others. In the wild they would be living in a warmer rainforest environment.’
Visitors to the wild animal park this winter will be able to see the tapirs in their stables on a daily basis between 2.30 and 4.00. For further information regarding the park including opening times please visit http://www.aspinallfoundation.org/
Tags: donation, endangered, kent, port lympne, wild animal park, windows
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January 6th, 2012
Tyson, the honey badger at Howletts Wild Animal Park was given an extra sweet treat this week to celebrate his birthday.
Head keeper Jim Vassie explained: ‘Tyson is a favourite here with keepers and visitors alike. His seventh birthday gave us the opportunity to provide him with some birthday themed enrichment in the form of presents filled with his favourite honey. Enrichment is an excellent way of keeping animals interested as it offers them new experiences.’
The Honey badger is found in Africa, the Middle East and India. This omnivorous species is actually more closely related to the weasel than badgers. They have relatively poor eyesight, but an excellent sense of smell. Honey badgers are in decline due to being targeted by farmers and for their body parts which are used in traditional medicines due to their reputation for tenacity and fearlessness.
For further information on The Aspinall Foundation’s work and to find out how you can help please visit www.aspinallfoundation.org/aspinall
Tags: birthday, endangered species, enrichment, honey badger, howletts
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January 6th, 2012
Livingstone Lodge, the unique African safari experience in Kent, has won gold for The Best Tourism Experience in The Beautiful South Awards for Excellence 2011.
Set in the stunning scenery of The African Experience at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, the 10 lodges look out over herds of free roaming African wildlife including giraffe, black rhino, ostrich, wildebeest, Zebra and antelope. Guests enjoy sumptuous traditional African dining in the ‘Lapa’ before retreating to the starlight seclusion of their luxury safari tent to watch the sun go down over the watering hole from their private veranda.
Bob O’Connor Managing Director of Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks said: ‘It’s an honour to win a gold award for Best Tourism Experience in The Beautiful South Awards for Excellence this year. It’s a credit to all the staff who work so hard to make this such an exceptional product.’
Livingstone Lodge will be open to guests from the 31st of March this year, and bookings are now open. To book your experience please call 0844 842 4647 or visit www.aspinallfoundation.org
Tags: Livingstone Lodge, lodges, port lympne, safari, wildlife
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December 19th, 2011
Hidden cameras are not only the domain of espionage and TV reality shows, they are also becoming an increasingly used and valuable tool in modern day biodiversity monitoring. Following on from a successful camera trap program in Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park, The Aspinall Foundation (TAF) recently started a similar monitoring program in the Batéké Plateau region of Central Africa – where they have been doing conservation work for over 20 years.
The Aspinall Foundation, founded by conservationist John Aspinall, has been working in The Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) since 1987 and in neighbouring Gabon since 1998 on a project to protect the critically endangered Western lowland gorilla and the environment in which it lives. TAF, working in collaboration with the countries’ respective governments, now protects nearly 1 million acres within the unique savannah ecosystem of the Batéké Plateau that spans these bordering nations.
Amos Courage, Director for Overseas Projects said: ‘The Batéké Plateau is an area of incredible biodiversity where many forest and savanna species can be found. Part of our commitment to conservation is taking concrete steps towards preserving areas along with protecting individual species. A large part of this project is building good working partnerships, for example, with the governments of both Congo and Gabon to ensure that this area is safeguarded for future generations.’
Camera traps are an effective and unobtrusive method for conservationists to measure wild animal populations and track the frequency and distribution of their movements. After a relatively short trial period these devices have already yielded a bounty of biodiversity data, including images of leopards, red river hogs, forest elephants, chimpanzees, sitatunga, forest buffalo and even the strikingly beautiful black serval.
Amos commented: ‘Footage like this reinforces the importance of protecting habitats and finding ways to extend this protection beyond the limits of national reserves. The camera traps have proved very successful in providing us with an idea of the amount of species in this area, their numbers and their movements.’
With this new monitoring program up and running, TAF is anticipating a host of diverse and exciting images which will help to showcase the vital conservation work that the Foundation is doing in this region as well as providing data for planning conservation management strategies. With a little luck it may even be the descendants of TAF’s own reintroduced gorilla populations that one day graces these mini silver screens!
Tags: animal charity, aspinall foundation, camera traps, conservation, species
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December 13th, 2011
Workers at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park benefitted from extra help when young people from Connexions volunteered for the day as part of an initiative called Back on Track.
Connexions is an organisation offering advice and support to young people aged between 13 and 19 years old – Back on Track is just one of the initiatives offered.
Brendan Hammond from Connexions explained: ‘Back on Track is a three week course designed to teach young people skills which will improve their chances of employment.’
This is the second year that Connexions have brought young people to the park where they learn skills such as landscaping and gardening. This year saw groups from Thanet, Margate, Canterbury, Folkestone and Dover taking part in the scheme.
Mark Kingston Jones, Research and Enrichment Supervisor at the wild animal park said: ‘Working with the young people from Back on Track has proved to be fantastically rewarding, both for them and the parks as they help us with necessary maintenance work at both Port Lympne and Howletts Wild Animal Parks’
‘When Connexions originally contacted us last year, we had previously only done this kind of work experience with animal care/management students, but the groups of young people have worked very hard to help us improve the animal enclosures amongst other areas and we look forward to continuing this partnership in the future!’
Tags: animal charity, port lympne
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December 5th, 2011
The Education Team at Howletts Wild Animal Park recently presented the animals with some unusual enrichment based on favourite childhood toys such as Kerplunk.
Gorillas and elephants tried out Kerplunk whilst the tigers played with an especially constructed Weeble and lion tailed macaques got to grips with a giant rattle.
Enrichment is a way of providing variety for animals and to stimulate natural behaviours such as foraging, problem solving and play. The Aspinall Foundation’s Howletts & Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks, in Kent, use enrichment as part of their commitment to the highest levels of animal care.
Tags: animal charity, aspinall foundation, enrichment, howletts, tiger
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November 22nd, 2011
Port Lympne Wild Animal Park near Ashford in Kent welcomes Ruti, a critically endangered Barbary lioness.
Ruti was flown in from Madrid and has settled well at the park in Kent. Keepers hope that as Ruti becomes more confident in her surroundings she will eventually become a mate for Milo – a male Barbary lion at Port Lympne.
Adrian Harland Animal Director said: ‘Ruti seems to be settling in very well and it is hoped that we can put her and Milo together in the near future.’
Barbary or Atlas lions – so called because they once roamed the Atlas mountains are extinct in the wild; the last one was shot by a hunter in the 1920’s, however the king of Morocco kept lions in the royal menagerie until the 1970’s when they were transferred to Rabat Zoo as part of an international breeding programme.
Tags: aspinall foundation, barbary, breeding programme, conservation, endangered species, lioness, port lympne
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November 21st, 2011
Keepers at Howletts Wild Animal Park, Kent, are celebrating the birth of a Brazilian Tapir.
Born on the 27th October, the male infant, who is yet to be named, has made his debut to the press and public. The infant was born to parents mother Corumba and father Yavari.
The Brazilian Tapir is found in rainforests and swamps in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Paraguay. Tapirs are forest-dwellers who use their mobile snouts to browse on leaves, buds, shoots and twigs. Tapirs are water-loving animals and using their long snouts as a snorkel they can stay submerged for several minutes at a time. There are four types of Tapir: the Brazilian, the black and white Malayan tapir that can be seen at Port Lympne, the Mountain or ‘wooly’ Tapir and the Baird’s tapir Brazilian tapirs are a vulnerable species that is in decline due to deforestation and poaching.
In the wild, the infant’s spotted and striped coat would provide the perfect camouflage in the dappled light of the forest undergrowth. He will keep his unusual “watermelon” markings until he is about 6 months old and then will develop his adult dark brown colour the low erect mane running along the back of his neck. Mother and son are currently separated from Yavari so that they can bond with but they will be introduced shortly.
The Brazilian Tapir is one of many species protected by The Aspinall Foundation, the conservation charity which manages Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks in Kent. The work of The Aspinall Foundation both at its Kent parks and overseas is funded entirely by visitor revenue and donations to the public, so just by visiting the new infant you will be contributing towards the survival of endangered species. For more information or to adopt a tapir from as little as £3 per month visit http://www.aspinallfoundation.org/
Tags: animal charity, aspinall foundation, births, breeding programme, conservation, endangered, endangered species, howletts, infants, kent, wild animal park, wildlife, zoo
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November 11th, 2011
Keepers at Howletts Wild Animal Park were delighted to welcome Ziva, a rare female snow leopard as part of an ongoing breeding programme.
Snow leopards generally tend to live in the high mountains of Central Asia. In the mountain range of Central Asia, their dappled coat of whitish-grey, tinged with yellow allows snow leopards to blend in with their mountain environment of bare rocks and snow.
Other adaptations for life in high altitude environments include an enlarged nasal cavity, shortened limbs and well-developed chest muscles for climbing. They benefit from long hair with dense, woolly under fur and a cushion of hair on the underside of the paws. Unlike other cats of comparable size, their tail is proportionately longer and heavier. It is thought to assist in balance and they will wrap their tails around the body for added warmth when resting.
Snow leopards are listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with only 3,500 to 7,000 currently left in the wild.
Out of 200 in Europe, there are currently 33 snow leopards in 15 zoos across Britain and Ireland.
As part of our commitment to this breeding programme we hope to introduce Ziva to a male that has recently arrived with us from a wild animal park in France. If we are lucky they will produce cubs which in turn will go on to breed when they are old enough with leopards from different collections – this will help to ensure the survival of the species.
Tags: aspinall foundation, breeding programme, conservation, endangered species, leopard, snow, wild animal park, wildlife, zoo
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