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2004: The AZA International Conservation Award
The
Minnesota Zoo was awarded the top International Conservation
Award by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for its Sumatran
Tiger Conservation Program. The International Conservation Award
is presented each year by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
for recognition of outstanding dedication to international conservation
issues and development of natural resources.
The mission of the Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program (STCP)
is to assist the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry (PHKA) to secure
a future for Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae). Indonesia’s
last tigers are found only in Sumatra where thousands once prowled
its forests. Today fewer than 400 tigers remain.
To survive tigers need sufficient prey and safe forests. STCP
priorities are to implement a pragmatic, cost-effective and sustainable
nature conservation strategy that will protect the tiger’s
future, yet be supported and sustained by the government and
people of Indonesia, to protect tigers in the forests and courts
of law, and to focus on building capacity locally and within
PHKA.
2003: The AZA Significant Achievement in North American
Conservation Award
The Minnesota Zoo received this award along
with 14 other accredited zoos who cooperatively participate in the “Mexican
Gray Wolf Recovery Program."
Missing from the landscape for the last half of this century,
the howl of the Mexican gray wolf can again be heard in the mountains
of the southwestern United States thanks to the efforts of the
institutions and organizations that comprise the Mexican gray
wolf recovery program. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began
releasing wolves back into the wild in March 1998. Today there
is a minimum of 36 free-ranging wild wolves, many of them wild
born offspring of wolves contributed by AZA institutions.
There are over 260 Mexican gray wolves in captive breeding
facilities throughout the United States and Mexico. Participants
are an active and integral part of the recovery effort – through
their released wolves, the education and advocacy programs they
support, and the time and money that they contribute to conservation
initiatives on behalf of the rarest wolf in the world – the
Mexican gray.
The 15 AZA accredited zoos that participate in the Recovery
Program are: Albuquerque Biological Park, Arizona-Sonora Desert
Museum, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Dakota
Zoo, El Paso Zoo, Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, The Living Desert
Zoo and Gardens, Minnesota Zoological Garden, Smithsonian's National
Zoological Park, Phoenix Zoo, Sedgwick County Zoo, Utica Zoo, Wild Canid
Survival and Research Center, Zoo New England.
2002: International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators
Award
The
Minnesota Zoo was awarded the 2002 International Association
of Avian Trainers and Educators (IAATE) Conservation Award for
its work raising funds for BioBrasil, a non-profit environmental
organization based in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The IAATE presents
its conservation award annually to an organization that does
an outstanding job of supporting conservation efforts.
The Minnesota Zoo was chosen as the recipient of the $500 award
after it raised $7,800 for the organization last summer during
its "World of Birds" show. During the show, zoo staff
raised awareness of conservation to zoo guests by directing "Floyd,"
the show's pink cockatoo, to carry a dollar bill and drop it into
a conservation donation box.
IAATE will donate the $500 award to BioBrasil, which is dedicated
to the conservation of threatened fauna and flora throughout the
country's various biomes, using scientific research, environmental
education, land purchase and low-impact ecotourism.
2000: The Edward H. Bean Award
The Minnesota Zoo received
the 2000 Edward H. Bean Award for long-term propagation of the
American pronghorn, Antilocapra
americana. The award was presented at the American Zoological
Association's (AZA) Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida.
The Minnesota Zoo has exhibited pronghorn since 1980 and has
had 138 births. Our zookeepers initiated a hand-raising procedure
for 122 fawns. Pronghorn have been considered difficult to maintain
in captivity due to temperament and medical conditions. The Zoo
currently has 12 pronghorn on its Northern Trail exhibit.
Pronghorn, which resemble deer, live in the deserts and prairies
of western North America. They are the only animals in the world
with branched horns, which they shed like antlers. Pronghorn
are the fastest animals in the Western Hemisphere, reaching speeds
up to 60 mph.
"We have been successful with pronghorn due to the dedication
and hard work of Tim Hill and other zoo staff. We are thrilled
to have received this prestigious award," said Lee Ehmke,
Director and CEO of the Minnesota Zoo. Hill, a zookeeper on the
zoo's Northern Trail exhibit, managed the pronghorn program and
prepared the submission for the AZA.
The Edward H. Bean Award was established by the AZA in
September, 1956, honoring the first director of Chicago's Brookfield
Zoo. The AZA presents this award "in recognition of efforts
by Institution, Related Facility, and International Facility
members in the management and husbandry of various animal species
in their care."
1999: CITES Tiger Task Team Commendation
At the 42nd meeting
of the CITES standing committee in Portugal, the CITES Tiger
Missions Technical Team Report was submitted. In comparison to
all current tiger projects now underway in the 14 tiger range
counties of Southeast Asia, the Sumatran Tiger Project's field
activities were characterized as being "methodical,
scientific and accurate. The CITES team commends the Project
and recommends its extension in Indonesia and use by other Parties
wherever habitat is deemed suitable" (CITES Report, 1999).
The Technical Team also commented on the tiger protection efforts
of our specialized anti-poaching units in Way Kambas, stating "The
team commends the work of these units who operate in difficult,
hazardous and physically demanding terrain. The combination of
effective enforcement, crime-intelligence gathering and scientific
data collection is laudable".
1999: 21st Century Tiger Conservation Award
The Minnesota
Zoo and the staff of the Sumatran Tiger Project received the
1999 21st Century Tiger Conservation Award for its comprehensive
and long-standing in situ conservation program for Sumatran tigers
in Indonesia. The 21st Century Tiger program is facilitated by
the Zoological Society of London, UK.
1998: The AZA International Conservation Award
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)
honored the Minnesota Zoo with the top Conservation Award for
our successful Sumatran Tiger Project. The award was presented
during AZA's 75th Annual Conference that met in Minneapolis/St.
Paul, Minnesota.
One of the most endangered species of Indonesia, the Sumatran
tiger, is recognized as a "key species" in biodiversity
conservation and is considered critically threatened by the IUCN.
About 500 tigers survive in five Indonesian national parks and
two game reserves, and another 100 tigers live in forests scheduled
to be converted to agriculture. There are three basic questions
that need answering before the long-term survival of tigers in
Sumatra can be planned. One is to identify how secure each population
is from poaching or disturbance as well as the security of the
prey base and habitat. Still another is how to resolve conflicts
between tigers and forest-edge communities, as well as to develop
a conservation message to all citizens of Indonesia. Based upon
recommendations set forth in the Indonesian Sumatran Tiger Conservation
Strategy, a multi-disciplinary field study of Sumatran tigers
was designed to help resolve these issues and secure the tiger's
future in Sumatra.
The Sumatran Tiger Project was initiated in June 1995 in Way
Kambas National Park, a lowland rain forest in southeastern Sumatra.
The objective of the field component was to establish the conservation
needs of wild tigers through the use of continuous remote camera
photographs, ground censusing, and development of a Geographic
Information System (GIS) database that integrates all of the
information. The objective of the community-based education program
was to identify attitudes and issues of forest-edge villagers.
Using a comprehensive 500-question survey, over 770 households
from 25 different villages representing three different ethnic
groups were interviewed. Analysis of their answers led to current
attempts at multi-level education programs at the village level
to decrease human-tiger conflicts. Expertise gained from both
of these program components is now the fabric of the field methodology
being used to rapidly census tiger populations across all of
Sumatra and to identify tiger priority areas, which will define
where the future of the tiger's survival in Sumatra will be implemented.
1995:AZA International Conservation Award
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)
honored the Minnesota Zoo with the top Conservation Award for
our successful Adopt-A-Park Program in Ujung Kulon National Park
in Indonesia. The award was presented during AZA's 71st Annual
Conference that met in Seattle, Washington.
In 1990, the Minnesota Zoo embarked upon a conservation initiative
by "adopting" Ujung Kulon National Park in Java, Indonesia,
home of the critically endangered Javan rhino. This conservation
project provides direct assistance in protecting the unique and
threatened Indonesian ecosystem. There are two primary features
of the conservation program. The first is the program concept,
which stresses how modest financial support can make significant
contributions to protecting wild ecosystems and their species.
The second feature is the program process, which can serve as
a "road map" on how a zoo or aquarium can implement
its own on location conservation program to conserve the wildlands
where threatened species live.
1994: Edward H. Bean Award
The Minnesota Zoo received
the 1994 Edward H. Bean Award along with Omaha's Henry Doorly
Zoo and the National Zoo for its long-term conservation and propagation
program for Panthera
tigris. The award was presented at the American Zoological
Association's (AZA) Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Minnesota Zoo, the Henry Doorly Zoo, and the National Zoo
have combined their respective strengths and resources to assume
leading roles in comprehensive and innovative species management
programs that will be critical factors in the survival of the
species Panthera tigris. This program reflects the evolving
role that individual zoos and the AZA are playing and will continue
to play in the preservation of endangered species.
These institutions have provided the primary resources for investigations
of the reproductive physiology of tigers producing the first in-vitro
fertilized tiger (1990) and the first artificially inseminated
tiger (1991). They have assumed leadership roles in support of
in situ conservation projects including providing personnel and
resources to assist in the development of a comprehensive in
situ conservation program for Sumatran tigers.
Throughout the development and execution of these in situ programs,
the institutions have maintained stable species management programs
for long-term captive propagation to maintain these species. They
have developed concepts for animals management to improve the
care and display of the species and addresses numerous management
concerns.
The Minnesota Zoo has participated integrally in these combined
efforts for the conservation of Panthera tigris. As part
of this combined effort, Minnesota Zoo staff maintain the AZA
Tiger SSP, the Amur Tiger SSP and the Amur Tiger Studbook
The Edward H. Bean Award was established by the AZA in
September, 1956, honoring the first director of Chicago's Brookfield
Zoo. The AZA presents this award "in recognition of efforts
by Institution, Related Facility, and International Facility
members in the management and husbandry of various animal species
in their care."
1993: AZA Significant Achievement Award in Conservation
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)
honored the Minnesota Zoo with a Significant Achievement Award
in Conservation for its program Development of an Indonesian
conservation strategy for captive and wild Sumatran tigers. The
award was presented during AZA's Annual Conference in Omaha,
Nebraska.
Habitat loss, declining prey availability, poaching, and other
factors have caused wild populations of Sumatran tigers to
become fragmented into small isolated populations particularly
at risk from disease, genetic drift, and inbreeding. The critical
status of wild Sumatran tigers emphasizes the need for effective
captive tiger programs to reinforce wild populations. The development
of an Indonesian Sumatran Tiger Regional Captive Breeding Program
is particularly crucial as a means to integrate wild-caught
problem Sumatran tigers as new genetic founders into the captive
population. A Sumatran tiger captive breeding workshop was
held in Indonesia, in conjunction with the construction of
a captive tiger breeding facility at Taman Safari Indonesia,
to train Indonesian zoo staff in husbandry and veterinary techniques,
to establish a Regional Sumatran Tiger Studbook, and to develop
a Sumatran Tiger Regional Masterplan for Indonesia.
A Sumatran Tiger Population and Habitat Viability Analysis Workshop
was also held in Indonesia to quantitatively assess wild tiger
populations in the major protected areas of Sumatra and to evaluate
the effectiveness of various management strategies on the long-term
viability of these populations. A Sumatran Tiger Action Plan was
drafted which outlined short-term and long-term goals to manage
wild tiger populations. The development of wild tiger management
strategies and the formation of a strong captive Sumatran tiger
program to supplement fragmented wild populations have led to
the creation of a comprehensive Indonesian Conservation Strategy
to insure the long-term survival of the Sumatran tiger.
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