Why do people risk personal injury or death just to get a photo next to wild animals, even those living in the relative safety of a zoo or aquarium? What is it about protective barriers, walls, or fences designed to bring animals and the viewing public safely together in close proximity that communicates to some visitors, "sure, climb over"? A recent incident of a zoo visitor injured for ignoring the safety barriers just to get a selfie with an adult jaguar went viral and highlights the importance of human perceptions of animals and how well they align with reality. More importantly, how do our perceptions or misperceptions of animals impact our feelings and behavior, especially with regards to preserving species under threat of extinction?

Dr. Susan Clayton professor of psychology and environmental studies at the College of Wooster discusses how human perceptions of animals is affected by things such as TV, youtube, and early learning experiences with animals at the zoo. The nature of that education can affect whether we objectify animals or view them with respect. She argues that zoos are important institutions because they hold the promise not only to educate and inspire people about animals through proper messaging, but to change human behavior in achievable increments to protect the natural environment.  

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www.wooster.edu

www.WildlifeWorld.com

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On occasion, laws and regulations enacted for common sense reasons have purposefully been misapplied by those with agendas and intentions that are radically different from what Congress or state legislatures had in mind. It is difficult to anticipate such unintended consequences in new laws, especially when stakeholders that may be affected by such legislation are excluded from the bill writing and amendment process. Animal related organizations such as zoos and aquariums seem particularly and increasingly prone to this trend thanks to animal rights groups as in the current case of HR 1042 known as the "Prepared Act."  It's an otherwise common sense idea that the thousands of USDA licensed facilities including zoos, aquariums, research, and breeding facilities ought to have disaster preparedness plans in place in the event of natural or other catastrophic events. However, backers of the bill seem to have an insidious goal in mind, to use HR 1042 to gain access to an organization's private operational and emergency contingency plans through the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA. Julia Matson Wagner, a risk mitigation expert, discusses the bill and why it might make zoos and aquariums vulnerable as soft targets to much more dangerous elements than simply animal rights groups.

In an all new Zoos News elephant expert, Erin Ivory, returns to Zoo Logic to discuss EEHV, a devastating and almost always lethal virus that has just claimed two young elephants at the Indianapolis zoo.

Plus an all new That Sounds Wild. 

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The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito is not just the organization that responds to more stranded marine mammals than any other in the world. According to www.TMMC.org, from the depletion of fish stocks to increasing ocean temperatures, human activity threatens marine ecosystems that are vital to the health of our ocean and all life on earth. As a critical first responder to these threats, The Marine Mammal Center is leading the field in ocean conservation through marine mammal rescue, veterinary science, and education.

Marine mammals are ecosystem indicators, and the health of these animals provides insights into human and ocean health threats. Executive Director, Jeff Boehm discusses how the center supports a network of scientists and stewards to protect our shared ocean environment for future generations.

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For 45 years, Dr. Laurie Marker has dedicated her life to saving cheetahs, the fastest land mammal on earth. A species of cat like no other, cheetahs face mounting pressures from conflicts with farmers, habitat loss and fragmentation, local and species-wide genetic bottlenecks, and the illegal pet trade. Her love and fascination with the species led Dr. Marker to move to Namibia where in 1990 she established the headquarters for the Cheetah Conservation Fund organization (www.Cheetah.org). Dr. Marker serves as an advisor for several national and international zoological and conservation organizations; is the recipient of many awards recognizing her contributions to science, conservation, and education; and has authored or contributed to a long list of academic publications.

From the CCF website:

Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) is the global leader in research and conservation of cheetahs. CCF is dedicated to saving the cheetah in the wild. CCF’s mission is to be the internationally recognized center of excellence in the conservation of cheetahs and their ecosystems. CCF will work with all stakeholders to develop best practices in research, education, and land use to benefit all species, including people.

The vast majority of wild cheetahs are outside protected areas, in areas populated by humans. Saving this magnificent animal from extinction requires innovative conservation methods that address the welfare of both cheetah and human populations over large landscapes. CCF has developed a set of integrated programs that work together to achieve this objective. CCF’s programs have effectively stabilized and even increased the wild cheetah population in Namibia.

CCF has close links and assists in training and sharing program successes with other countries where cheetah live, including Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Iran, Algeria and more recently, Angola. In many of these countries, efforts are currently underway to develop new conservation programs or support existing cheetah conservation efforts. CCF’s international collaborations involve distributing CCF materials, lending resources and support, and providing training through Africa and the rest of the world.

CCF’s conservation programming is rooted in scientific research. CCF maintains a research program on the biology, ecology and genetics of cheetahs that publishes papers in peer-reviewed journals annually, and currently operates the only fully-equipped genetics lab at an in-situ conservation facility in Africa.

CCF’s renowned Livestock Guarding Dog Program has been highly effective at reducing predation rates and thereby reducing the inclination by farmers to trap or shoot cheetahs. CCF breeds Anatolian shepherd and Kangal dogs, breeds that for millennia have guarded small livestock against wolves and bears in Turkey. The dogs are placed with Namibian farmers as puppies. They bond with the herd and use their imposing presence and loud bark to scare away potential predators. CCF has been placing dogs since 1994 and our research shows the dogs are highly effective, reducing livestock loss from all predators by over 80 and up to 100 percent.

According to Dr. Marker, "the Cheetah Conservation Fund is many things. We are a world class research facility doing groundbreaking research in the biology, ecology and genetics of the cheetah. We’re a conservation organization working to combat the problems that afflict the human communities that live alongside cheetahs and threaten the cheetah as a species with extinction. We’re a place that visitors may come to learn about the cheetah and experience its magnificence and grace more closely."

"But we do all that we do for a single purpose – to win the race to save the cheetah. We’ve lost 90 percent of the world’s population of cheetahs in the last 100 years. And we know that if we’re going to have cheetahs around for the next 100 years, we need to act now to address the threats to the cheetah’s survival."

Plus, an all new That Sounds Wild and a Zoos News legislative update from Rachel Garner from www.whyanimalsdothething.com.

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The highly touted federal and state program to conserve the Black-footed Ferret over the past three decades is really a story about two interconnected species, of a predator and its prey. Once thought extinct until a tiny number were rediscovered on a rancher's private property, Black-footed Ferret populations plummeted in the wild as humans sought to eradicate their primary source of food, prairie dogs.  In hindsight we recognize today the tremendous ecological importance of prairie dogs that once numbered in the hundreds of millions across the grasslands of the U.S. If we are going to succeed in saving the ferret, then we must also save the prairie dog. Unfortunately, prairie dogs have lost 95% of their historic range according to www.worldwildlife.org and they are susceptible to the plague carried by fleas on infected rats that entered North America aboard European ships. Curator of Conservation Science for the Phoenix Zoo, Brad Poynter joins us for part two of our conversation on how modern zoos and aquariums work behind the scenes locally and internationally to study and preserve species that no one may ever see on display, but that are intrinsically important to conserve in order to maintain healthy environments. 

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By the late 1960's, the Arabian oryx was considered extinct in the wild. Some of the few remaining animals living in human care were sent to the Phoenix Zoo in the early 1970's because its desert climate matched the species' former natural range across the Middle East. From just nine animals, zoo professionals were able to establish a successful breeding herd with subsequent offspring sent to other zoos to rebuild a sustainable population. The program was so successful that by 1982, Arabian Oryx were beginning to be reintroduced in safe zones across its former range. It is the first species to ever be down listed from "extinct in the wild" to a much improved (but still at risk) status of "vulnerable."

Today, the Phoenix zoo's rich history of conservation success is coordinated at its conservation center by Brad Poynter, curator of conservation science. The center is responsible for the preservation, and in some instances, the reintroduction of at-risk species native to Arizona, including the once believed extinct Black-footed ferret.

www.Phoenixzoo.org

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Historically, animal professionals were discouraged from sharing feelings of grief over the loss of a pet or zoo animal. To do otherwise might call into question one's ability to remain objective when managing, studying, or conserving wild species. In other words, emotionally speaking, animals should be kept at arm's length and zookeepers shouldn't have favorites!

Such attitudes about the need to acknowledge one's grief over the passing of a favorite furry, scaly or feathered friend seem to be changing, especially as modern zoos must now grapple with the often competing priorities of preserving entire populations through dispassionate science-based principles, while also balancing the welfare needs of individual animals within those populations. 

Increasingly, zoological and veterinary organizations are realizing the importance of processing grief not just for pet owners, but for keepers and the general public, too. Our guest, Ann Howie, is an author and mental health professional who integrates animals into her counseling practice. She describes things we should and should not do to help ourselves and others process grief.

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While other well known and charismatic species like rhinos, tigers, and elephants garner more headlines, the small, shy, and nocturnal pangolin has the sad distinction of being the globe's most illegally trafficked animal. Prized for their meat and the few hundred keratin scales that cover their bodies like a suit of armor that's strong enough to repel lion attacks, pangolins are no match for Nature's top predator, man. And the result of the industrial-sized poaching occurring over the past few decades may be the extinction of all 8 varieties of this gentle creature that feeds exclusively on thousands of ants, termites, and other insects each day.

Recently, a consortium of 7 North American zoos, including the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium imported a small group of one pangolin species to better understand their behavior, physiology, and highly specialized nutritional requirements. It is a great example of zoos working across trade association affiliations like www.AZA.org and www.ZAA.org to improve our husbandry and overall understanding of this species before it's too late to preserve them.

World Pangolin Day is this Saturday, February 16th.

www.pangolinconservation.org

www.GlobalConservationForce.org

www.pittsburghzoo.org/

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The California Condor is the largest bird naturally found in North America and by the mid 1980's its population had plummeted to a few dozen individuals. Society had a choice: let the species pass into oblivion or develop a bold and untested plan to collect, preserve, and eventually, repopulate the desert southwest with wild animals and their descendants that could fend for themselves.

Animal expert Michael Mace from San Diego Zoo Global describes some of the early obstacles to success and the pressure professionals from the San Diego and Los Angeles zoos felt working with the world's only remaining California Condors. While some of the the factors (e.g., use of pesticide DDT) that led to the condor's near extinction over thirty years ago may have faded, new and persisting risks remain. Not only has the Condor conservation program continued to evolve and incorporate new technologies to meet these challenges, it continues to serve as a model and inspiration to preserve other critically endangered species.

https://institute.sandiegozoo.org/species/california-condor

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This week's That Sounds Wild comes from www.conservationambassadors.org

China is experiencing tremendous growth in the popularity, number and size of family attractions under development, especially aquariums featuring marine mammals. In recent years, Russia has been a primary source of the larger marine mammal species sent to these major aquarium projects. Against the backdrop of this demand which is projected to grow, scant reports, including one by CBS News late last year, have raised concerns over the status of approximately 100 orcas and beluga whales collected from Russian waters and currently temporarily housed in "cramped and potentially illegal" near shore sea pens on Russia's Pacific east coast near the city of Nakhodka. This situation and the broader implications of these collections raise at least 3 potential concerns for zoological professionals from accredited public display facilities: 1) whether the animals from Russia are being collected humanely and sustainably based upon previously conducted and up to date scientific environmental impact assessments? 2) how well the veterinary care and welfare of the animals while housed in temporary sea pen facilities are being maintained? and 3) whether the long term housing, husbandry, and reproductive plans for larger cetaceans like orcas once they are transferred to China will meet their social, behavioral, and health needs?

To shed light on the situation and help separate fact from fiction, long time amusement park and family entertainment attractions insider, journalist, and blogger, Joe Kleiman, joins us. 

Plus, an all new That Sounds Wild and a personal aloha to an animal friend and teacher.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-whale-jail-investigated-prosecutors-nakhodka-orca-beluga-whales-held/

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www.finaldaysofwisdom.wordpress.com/2018/10/18/final-days-synopsis-on-the-expanding-future-of-killer-whale-exhibition/