Ulysses S. Seal Grant

Asian Wild Horse Recovery

Satellite tracking of Asian horses in Kalameili Reserve, China

Asian wild horses were extinct in the wild by the mid-1970s. The remaining captive population is based on only 14 founders. Reintroduction projects are underway in Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and China. The most significant obstacles to reintroduction are: (a) interbreeding with domestic horses; (b) poaching; (c) poor habitat due to livestock competition; and (d) high winter mortality.

China’s Wild Horse Breeding Center (WHBC) has been developing a captive breeding population of wild horses since the mid-1980s. Several transfers of horses from the U.S., England, and Germany, followed by successful captive breeding, have allowed the herd to grow to more than 100 animals. Twenty-six horses were released in Kalameili Reserve in the Gobi Desert in 2001. Although several horses from the initial release died (after a harsh winter) the remaining population has since reproduced and appears healthy. A second release is planned.

In 2006, the Minnesota Zoo Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Fund provided funds to purchase a GPS satellite radio collar to allow tracking of a horse in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Zoo’s release and tracking project in China. The Minnesota Zoo has imported the two breeding mares, Loretta and Aliana, from the zoo in Köln, Germany. They are the mothers of the two foals born here in 2008.

Takhin Tal, another Mongolian reserve, has also released more than 40 Asian wild horses.

As of 2008, there are some 325 Asian wild horses once again roaming the wild steppes of Asia, thanks to the species-saving efforts of zoos and preservation groups and their captive breeding and reintroduction programs.

Chipangali Cheetah Project

Chipangali Wildlife Trust in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, was established by Vivian Wilson and his wife Patricia in 1973 to aid in the conservation of a number of native species including cheetahs and leopards. One of Chipangali’s main projects is the capture and translocation of problem cheetahs, leopards, and brown hyenas found killing domestic livestock and the monitoring of their movements after release back to the wild.

Since 2000-2005, Chipangali has rescued 18 cheetahs from farms and ranches in Matabeleland, Western Zimbabwe. To date, all 18 of these cheetahs have been successfully released. All of the translocated animals were recorded by land owners as having killed domestic livestock such as calves, sheep, goats, and domesticated ostriches prior to capture.

Chipangali also assists the National Parks & Wildlife Management Authority with the capture and translocation of problem animals, including the rescue of cheetah and other species from poacher’s snares. Most of the problem cheetahs are held at Chipangali for a time before being released. A release only takes place once sufficient funding for radio-collars and other required equipment has been obtained and a suitable release location has been found so the animals can be followed after release to insure they get a good start and monitor their progress.

Most of the cheetah released from Chipangali’s care have been: successfully tracked and recorded, sighted on many occasions by park visitors and research staff, successful at killing a variety of prey species, witnessed trying to mate, and successful at avoiding predators like lions and hyenas.

Summary of cheetah releases through Chipangali as of 2005:

• Sentinal Ranch (Limpopo Valley): 29 Jan 2002: 6 adults – all still surviving
• Matobo National Park: 8 March 2002: 2 adults – both still surviving
• Hwange National Park: 31 October 2002: 4 adults – 2 dead, 2 surviving
• Hwange National Park: 2 February 2004: 2 adults – both still surviving
• Hwange National Park: 31 October 2004: 2 adults – both still surviving
• Hwange National Park: Summer 2005: 2 adults

In 2005, the Ulysses S. Seal Conservation fund of the Minnesota Zoo awarded this project $2500 to purchase four capture/transport crates to enable the project to increase the number of animals they are able to rescue. Staff champion for this project is Kelly Lessard, Public and Media Relations Specialist.

Coral Reef

Votua Village Biodiversity Studies and Community Education, Fiji

Melanie Sorenson, Education Interpretive Naturalist at the Minnesota Zoo, spent four weeks in Fiji in January 2007 working with Eco-Corps, a local conservation group, assisting in the development of a snorkeling trail through the village marine protected area, and a reef walk tour. She also worked with local villagers helping record flora and fauna and developed a training book for local guides and tourists and interpretive graphics, pamphlets, and field sheets for these projects.

Eco-Corps is a grass-roots level conservation effort based in Votua Village on the southwest coast of Fiji’s largest island, Viti Levu. Votua consists of approximately 40 families, dependent on subsistence fishing and farming for their livelihood. Eco-Corps mission is to conserve Fiji’s natural and cultural resources through research, education, and assisting the development of sustainable livelihood opportunities in local communities. This program provides information, and training to assist communities in developing and implementing resource management plans and sustainable economic opportunities. The project includes four conservation areas:

The Minnesota Zoo’s Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Grant Program provided Melanie with $1,000 to cover some of her travel and lodging costs as well as purchase supplies for the interpretive graphics and pamphlets for the eco-tours.

Cotton-top Tamarin: Proyecto Tití

Project Tamarin censusing cotton-top tamarins, Colombia

Proyecto Tití is a multi-disciplinary in situ conservation program that combines field research, education programs and community programs to make the conservation of natural resources economically feasible for local communities in Colombia.

Proyecto Tití (Project Tamarin) is working to establish the first protected area/national park for cotton-top tamarins in northwestern Colombia. To do this a habitat assessment and complete population census is needed. A habitat assessment has been completed and the remaining population of cotton-top tamarins must now be determined. A survey plan has been developed using methods able to count animals that are difficult to visualize in a tropical environment.

Two teams of observers will walk transect lines and play vocalizations of “intruding” animals using a Bose Acoustic Wave Music System which has been shown to not distort the playback vocalizations and to travel the farthest in the dense forest (>200 m). Playback studies are remarkably effective in eliciting territorial responses from cotton-top tamarins making them highly visible and easy to count.

In January 2005, the first phase of the census in the Departments of Bolivar and Atlantico will begin. The goal is to complete the initial census of these areas within six weeks.and census the six other departments within the historic distribution of the cotton-top tamarin throughout the year during the dry season. The goal is to complete the census by the end of 2005. This data combined with the habitat assessment will allow project members to select the most appropriate areas for protection and long-term conservation while providing the first estimate of the current population of cotton-top tamarins in Colombia. This data will also be used to review the IUCN status of cotton-top tamarins and provide a determination of its conservation status.

The Minnesota Zoo’s Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Grant Program awarded “Proyecto Tití (Project Tamarin)” $2300 in 2005 for the purchase of equipment and supplies for their census of the remaining cotton-top tamarin population in its historic range in Colombia. Staff champion for this project is Maria Reedstrom, Tropics Zookeeper.

Photograph courtesy of the Brookfield Zoo.

Environmental Education and Bird Research, Kenya

Melanie Sorenson, Minnesota Zoo Education Interpretive Naturalist, was accepted as a volunteer for the A Rocha Kenya (ARK) conservation project. The focus of this project is cross-cultural and community-based with an emphasis on science and research, practical conservation and environmental education. She will be in Kenya September-December of 2006. As the environmental education aspect of her stay, she will be working with schools in Arabuko-Sokoke Forest in Watamu, a village 100km north of Mombasa. She will be helping with guided field trips to national parks, tree planting, conservation festivals, wildlife clubs, teaching environmental conservation in the local schools and conducting teacher training workshops. She will also be writing conservation curriculum on African conservation issues and will present this curriculum to local school children.

The biological portion of her volunteer experience will be in the collection of ornithological data at Mwamba Field Study Center and Bird Observatory. She will be putting up mist nets, bird ringing, removing birds and assisting with note taking and recording of all bird information 2-3 times a week to help in the Center’s bird species conservation efforts. Six globally threatened bird species are found in Watamu, as well as three rare, near-endemic mammals.

The Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Grant Program awarded Melanie $1496 to help with her travel and lodging expenses while she participates in this vital conservation work.

Photos courtesy AROCHA Kenya.

Golden Lion Tamarin Habitat Protection – Brazil

The main threat to golden lion tamarins (GLT) is loss of habitat. Only 2% of the original forest remains. The largest protected area is the Poço das Antas Biological Reserve. In the surrounding area, there are farming settlements involving 180 poor families. Each of these families is trying to earn its livelihood on a small plot which cannot sustain traditional agriculture. Approximately 50% of these families are using fire to clear annual crops and pesticides, both of which pose a serious threat to the Reserve’s tamarin habitat. If their crops fail, these families may resort to hunting or other destructive activities in the Reserve.

To address this problem, this project has begun an environmental education and extension program to encourage families to farm in ways that will provide income but will not exert pressure on the remaining forest. Agroforestry systems associating agricultural species with species native to the Atlantic Forest are a viable alternative. These systems can maintain good production levels without fire or pesticides and increase GLT habitat by creating forest corridors to connect forest fragments in the settlements with the forest in the neighboring Reserve.

15 families have established agroforestry systems on their land so far. These systems have produced a variety of benefits for the families: foods such as bananas, pineapple, corn, beans, manioc, and papaya to enrich family incomes and enrich the soil through use of various species of beans. Since becoming involved in the project none of the 15 families has used pesticides or fire. This shows that environmental education can lead to long-term stewardship of the forest.

The Minnesota Zoo’s U. S. Seal Conservation Fund awarded this project $2500 in 2004 to provide supplies and support to six more families beginning agroforestry systems on their land. Staff champions for this project are Maria Reedstrom and Fred Swengel, Tropics Zookeepers.

Grevy’s Zebra: Northern Rangelands Endangered Species Program, Kenya

Jambo from Kenya!

Jambo! Or “hello” in Swahili! My adventure to Kenya, Africa, began back in November when the St. Louis Zoo requested volunteers to assist with an ongoing research project coordinated by Earthwatch. The focus was the endangered Grevy’s zebra and with assistance from the Minnesota Zoo, I was able to participate.

Few people realize that there are actually three different species of zebra; plains, mountain and Grevy’s. Plains zebra are very common, but the mountain and Grevy’s are considered endangered. In 2003, a field survey estimated that there are only 1,600-2,000 Grevy’s zebras left in the wild and their range has diminished significantly. Only 0.5% of their range is protected and at this rate of decline, it is estimated that the Grevy’s zebra could be extinct in the wild within 50 years!

In March, I joined zookeepers, conservation biologists, researchers and other volunteers on a journey to Kenya. Our time was split between the Lewa Conservancy, a private conservancy protected from livestock and poachers, and an area near Wamba, where livestock is abundant.

Data collection occupied our days and nights. We collected census data (GPS location, sexes, ages, health), behavioral data (time spent grazing, grooming, walking, vigilant), fresh zebra scat to analyze parasite levels, data on vegetation in the areas they were grazing (type of grass, grass height and grass density), and we spent time at watering holes recording which animals were present, the time of day they drank and how long they drank. Information on both plains and Grevy’s zebras was gathered in hopes that researchers can discover why the plains zebra is doing so well while the Grevy’s continues to decline.

Working near the town of Wamba, things got a little more interesting and difficult. Due to the severe drought and abundant livestock, we spent a lot of time driving around (getting flat tires) and looking for, but not finding much, data to collect. The human-animal conflict is more severe in this area since raising livestock is a way of life for the Samburu people. We also were asked to help with research efforts regarding a recent anthrax outbreak in northern Kenya. We collected data on carcasses which will be used to monitor disease problems in the area. It may sound tedious, but all of this data is important and is used to compare differences between protected and unprotected areas as well as determining what affect livestock, and more importantly, people have on wildlife.

Traveling to Africa is an amazing experience, but the most rewarding part was participating in an on-going conservation project that benefits an endangered species and hopefully contributes to future survival.

Thank you to the Minnesota Zoo, the Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Grant Award Program, Earthwatch, Lewa Conservancy, the Northern Rangeland Trust and the African Wildlife Foundation for all the conservation work that they do to protect these amazing animals.

Hornbill Family Adoption Program

The hornbill requires large areas of intact forest to survive, so the status of the hornbill population is in many ways a key indicator of the overall health of the tropical forest.

Unfortunately, the hornbill population has decreased severely and many species are now endangered following the destruction of their habitats. These birds also face the threat of local people stealing hornbill babies from their nests to sell into the pet trade. Villagers around Budo-Sungai Padi National Park earn their living working as hired hands in rubber and fruit orchards. Their incomes are extremely low and they hunt the babies of wild animals for sale to gain extra money. Even though hornbill chicks are available only once a year, they yield a high price, anywhere from 15,000-30,000 baht ($350-700 USD). The practice of stealing and selling the chicks is widespread and negatively affects hornbill populations.

The Hornbill Research Foundation, in existence since 1978, tries to stop hornbill smuggling by turning hunters into hornbill protectors. To do this, the Foundation has made local people part of the hornbill conservation program, hiring them to guard the nests from further stealing and to help researchers collect information about the birds. This provides villagers with some income as compensation and an incentive not to return to selling baby hornbills. Villagers can also help expand the research and help protect the hornbills under their care.

Local villagers know the forest terrain thoroughly, which is especially important because some of the study areas are still not totally safe from terrorist threat. Villagers also have knowledge of the whereabouts of the hornbills’ nests as well as the birds’ mating season and their behavior and diet. Researchers have taught the villagers how to observe the birds so that they aren’t seen, and also how to collect the needed information.

At present, the project covers 84 nests of seven species; the Rhinoceros Hornbill, Great hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, Helmeted Hornbill, White-crowned Hornbill, Black Hornbill and Wrinkled Hornbill. They are watched over by 20 people from eight villages.

The Hornbill Research Foundation has started the Hornbill Family Adoption Project to raise funds from the public to provide income for villagers to encourage continued efforts to conserve hornbills. This project allows local villagers to help secure long-term hornbill populations in the area.

The Minnesota Zoo’s Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Grant Program awarded the Hornbill Family Adoption Project $600 which is sufficient to adopt five hornbill nests in 2003 and again in 2004. By adopting one of Thailand’s many species of hornbill, we are helping save these endangered birds from extinction.

Photo courtesy of the Hornbill Family Adoption Program.

Saving Leatherback Sea Turtles, Trinidad

In May 2006, Julie Ketterling, Minnesota Zoo Interpretive Naturalist, traveled to Trinidad, West Indies, where she worked with the largest of sea turtles—the endangered leatherback. The program was supported by Earthwatch and Nature Seekers, an organization formed from local Trinidadians concerned about the declining number of leatherback turtles. During the laying season, Nature Seekers sends individuals out each night to patrol the beach. Earthwatch, an international volunteer conservation organization, joined with Nature Seekers to provide volunteers to help with research and provide a presence on the beach to help deter poachers.

The first night, Julie was trained to work with the turtles and was shown how to identify tracks made by a turtle as she came on to land to lay, in addition to the stages a female goes through as she lays her nest. Once she started to lay eggs, she would be checked to see if she had a pit tag, or microchip inserted in the shoulder used for long term population tracking. Using a scanner, the pit tag was read and recorded. If she didn’t have one, a tag was inserted. Next the team checked for two metal hind flipper tags. If she didn’t have these, two tags were attached and recorded. Lastly, the length and width of her carapace was measured and she was checked for damage to her shell or flippers.

One night, while making their way to the beach patrol zone they came across a large black mass washed ashore. As they got close, they noticed the unpleasant smell. Soon, they were able to see that it was a large fishing net with something large caught in it. At first it looked like a black whale, but then they were able to tell that five leatherback sea turtles had gotten tangled. They found one still alive and acted quickly to free her. The net was tight around her front flippers and had started to imbed in her skin. It took three people to hold her down, while two cut the rope away but they were able to cut her free and watch as she swam away. To Julie, it was a priceless moment to know that she helped saved her life.

Julie left Trinidad and the leatherbacks with a greater knowledge and appreciation for the hard work that goes into conservation and knows that the experience is one that she will take with her for the rest of her life. The Minnesota Zoo’s Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Grant Program awarded Julie $1,700 to cover some of her costs to participate in this vital conservation work.

Lemur Conservation

 Lemurs: Effects of human encroachment of red ruffed lemurs in forest fragments, Madagascar

In the rain forests of Madagascar, fruit-eating lemurs help the forests and local subsistence farming economies thrive. Many lemurs disperse the seeds of rain forest trees and lemurs attract tourists from around the world. Lemurs are famous representatives of the unique—and mostly endemic—fauna and flora of Madagascar. Throughout the eastern rain forest, endangered lemurs are hunted; hardwood trees are logged; and forest is cut for subsistence farming by local people. These activities affect the persistence of the forest-dwelling lemurs.

Thanks in part to support from the Minnesota Zoo’s Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Grant Program, Barbara Martinez, Ph.D. student at the University of Minnesota, is studying the ecology and conservation of the endangered red-ruffed lemur (Varecia rubra). The global range of this species lies in northeastern Madagascar on the Masoala Peninsula. Masoala National Park, the largest park in Madagascar, covers 840 miles of the peninsula. Barbara’s main research project is evaluating a reforestation program aiming to capitalize on the seed dispersal abilities of the red-ruffed lemur to restore degraded rain forest in the Park.

This project is located near a village called Ambatoladama. At this site, there is a narrow swath of forest connecting two larger parcels of forest—called a “corridor”. Former agricultural plots, now dominated by non-forest vegetation, lie within this forest corridor. Since 1997, park employees have been planting forest tree seedlings, most of which are also lemur foods, in these former agricultural plots with the goal of luring lemurs into the plots to disperse more forest species—red-ruffed lemurs disperse seeds through their feces. However, park managers do not know how successful red-ruffed lemurs are at dispersing seeds. This is where Barbara’s research plays an important role studying the diet, seed dispersal, and movement patterns of red-ruffed lemurs living within the corridor at Ambatoladama. Data from her research will provide park managers with scientific information so they can adapt their current management strategy to the ecology of red-ruffed lemurs.

In 2006, the Minnesota Zoo’s Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Program awarded this conservation project $2,500 to purchase radio collars to increase the number of animals able to be studied. Staff champion for this project was Dr. Jim Rasmussen, Senior veterinarian.

Mexican Gray Wolf Restoration Project

Radio tracking reintroduced Mexican wolves to monitor success of release, Arizona

The Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project is a multi-agency recovery program with the purpose of restoring the Mexican wolf to areas of their historic range in Arizona and New Mexico. This program involves staff from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Wildlife Services, the U.S. Forest Service, Arizona and New Mexico Departments of Game and Fish, and the White Mountain Apache Tribe. Additional program partners include the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan (SSP), the Mexican government, universities, and other private environmental groups.

The Mexican gray wolf is the most unique and genetically distinct subspecies of gray wolf in North America. International experts rate the recovery of this subspecies as one of the highest priorities in wolf conservation worldwide. In 1994, the Minnesota Zoo joined the Mexican Gray Wolf SSP, and continues to participate at many levels assisting the SSP. The Minnesota Zoo’s involvement includes advising facilities on educational curriculum and other issues surrounding wolf recovery, educating our visitors about the plight and recovery of the species by exhibiting Mexican wolves, and contributing to reproductive studies that will help ensure the survival of the species for generations to come and help improve captive management.

In August 2006, Northern Trail Zookeeper Jackie Fallon spent a month assisting the Mexican wolf field team in Arizona and New Mexico. During her stay she assisted with wolf-prey interaction studies using GPS technology, daily wolf pack monitoring, development of educational materials, and interacted with local residents to discuss the impact wolves may or may not have in the area. The primary pack she monitored was the recently released Meridian pack, which contains Minnesota Zoo wolf #10965, her mate and their single remaining female pup.

Top photo courtesy of Arizona Game and Fish 

Pallas’ Cat Conservation Project

Community Education and Field Research for the Pallas’ Cat Conservation Project

The Denver Zoo’s Pallas’ Cat Conservation Project aims to determine the status and natural history of the wild Pallas’ cat. Learning from disease problems evident in the captive population, the extreme susceptibility of Pallas’ cats to fatal toxoplasmosis and FIV-related disease is being examined. We have collected biological samples and photographs from 15 wild Pallas’ cats, two wildcats, 15 domestic cats, and 60 prey species for complete health assessment, and disease screening. We have also VHF-radio collared eight wild Pallas’ cats and two wildcats and are supporting a team of Mongolian herdsmen and field biology students to describe homeranges and behavior patterns.

Preliminary telemetry and behavior research of our Mongolian wild Pallas’ cats includes determining the general homeranges of our eight collared cats and observing mating, inter and intraspecies relations, and hunting/ feeding behaviors. Approximate homeranges of 2000 sq km have been determined, with males traveling large distances (up to 20 km) in one day. Females spend up to three months in the spring/summer in one location in underground holes raising their kittens.

Three study sites have been established in the central, southern, and western regions of Mongolia. We are now in the process of developing our study sites, field teams, and telemetry methodology. GPS collars, light enough for our small Pallas’ cats, are being developed. We hope to put GPS collars on one male and one female Pallas’ cat very soon.

This project is providing vital information on the status of this species in the wild which will help to determine its current threat status as well as determining ways to protect the existing wild population from further threat. This species has had difficulty thriving in captivity due to its extreme disease susceptibility and therefore it is imperative that strategies be developed to protect what is left of the wild population.

The Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Grant Program of the Minnesota Zoo awarded “The Pallas’ Cat Conservation Project” $2500 in 2004 for the purchase of a GPS radio collar to be used to increase the number of collared cats in the field which will continue to expand the knowledge base of the wild Pallas cat population in Mongolia so that conservation measures can be better implemented. Staff champion for this project is Dr. Martha Caron, conservation biologist. She is currently serving as the International studbook keeper and the AZA Species Survival Plan Coordinator for the Pallas cat.

Pallas Cat

Community Education and Field Research for the Pallas’ Cat Conservation Project

In July 2006, Melanie Sorenson, Minnesota Zoo Interpretive Naturalist, spent eight weeks working with the Pallas Cat Conservation Project in Mongolia. She split her time between working in the field helping radio-track Pallas cat’s and teaching English to local herdsman and living in the capital city Ulaanbaatar developing curriculum for the project to be used with the local people regarding the need to protect and conserve the local natural resources and in particular the Pallas cat.

Much of her time was spent living in a ger (local nomadic shelter) in the remote steppes of Mongolia helping out the field team with their daily tracking tasks. The rest of her time in the field was spent teaching English to the researcher’s children and to the local nomadic herder families in the study area. She was able to include some basic information on conservation in these conversations as well.

The Minnesota Zoo’s Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Grant Fund provided Melanie with $500 to cover her conservation contribution to the project. This money was spent to provide much needed supplies for the field camp and researchers.

Sun Bear/Bearded Pig

The Effects of Selective Logging on Malayan Sun Bears and Bearded Pigs, Borneo

The proposed study is designed to understand the impacts of selective logging in tropical forests on two sympatric omnivore species- Malayan sun bears and bearded pigs. Both species are forest dependent and fill a similar niche at ground level, being omnivores and having roles in seed dispersal and soil disturbance. Logging in Southeast Asia is resulting in the conversion of tropical rainforests into secondary forest communities and the fragmentation of vital habitat for sun bears, bearded pigs and other wildlife.

While human activities such as logging are certainly assumed a threat to wildlife habitat in the region, the direct and indirect effects of timber harvest on sun bears and bearded pigs are not known. This project seeks to identify critical resources for the survival of these species in logged regions. In this study, animal densities, seasonality of food abundance, food habits and physical condition will be compared for both sun bears and pigs in logged and primary forests. Fruit tree phenology, fruit production and relative levels of invertebrate prey will also be documented.

The proposed study will be conducted at the Ulu Segama Forest Reserve in eastern Sabah on the island of Borneo. The reserve encompasses both selectively logged forest and primary forest. Since the remaining forests in Borneo will likely be converted to logged forests, it is important to understand the specific impact of this disruption to the region’s wildlife. The information gathered will aid in establishing conservation strategies, wildlife management and forestry practices that balance the plans to utilize the rainforests for human interests and the needs of the resident wildlife.

The Minnesota Zoo’s Ulysses S. Seal Conservation Grant Program awarded “The Effects of Selective Logging on Malayan Sun Bears and Bearded Pigs in Lowland Tropical Rainforests of Borneo” $2300 in 2005 for its efforts to determine conservation concerns and management strategies for Malayan sun bears and bearded pigs in Borneo. Staff champions for this project are Christine McKnight and Larry Vorwerk, Tropics Zookeepers.