Komodo Dragon Survival Program

Location: Indonesia

Project Since: 2018

Mission:
To provide sound information on wildlife biology to help in devising management and conservation plans for the Komodo dragon and its natural habitat.

Highlights:
Results from population studies using camera traps in Komodo National Park indicated that lizard population were stable across all island populations. Ungulate prey surveys also indicated a stable prey population on Komodo and Rinca, and a low (but in a stable trend) prey densities on Nusa Kode and Gili Motang islands. This information will be used to inform park management and provide useful ecotourism information to tourists.

MYCAT: Citizen Action for Tigers

Location: West Malaysia

Project Since: 2014

Mission:
To protect and recover the tiger population in and around Taman Negara and to monitor the movement of tigers and other wildlife within the corridor linking the National Parks to the Main Range, which forms the world’s fourth largest tiger landscape.

Highlights:
An increased intensity and coverage of the protection patrols this year recorded greater numbers of both threat incidences and signs of target wildlife in 2021; 23 snares and 50 box traps, targeting medium-size ground mammals such as porcupines and pangolins, were found and destroyed. Many of these were found in areas with high accessibility (roads, trails, access points, and railroad). These areas often coincide with presence of large mammals and thus consistent boots on the ground are important to keep the wildlife safe.

Red-breasted Goose International Working Group

AEWA (African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds Agreement)

Location: Bulgaria

Supported Since: 2019

Mission:
To improve knowledge of the specific threats, migration ecology, and current distribution of red-breasted geese and contribute to the overall improvement of their population conservation status.

Highlights:
Ten field monitoring surveys were conducted in Black Sea coast areas important for the wintering of the species. Six hunting season patrol visits were conducted to reduce and mitigate poaching and hunting rules violations. A big success was the closure of spring hunting in Kalmykia (Russia) and the closure of spring hunting in Rostov region and Stavropol region, making a safe area for spring migration of thousands of migratory waterbirds. In spring the team managed to catch and tag 11 birds in Kazakhstan; this was the first-time collar tags have been used for Red-breasted geese.

Partula Recovery and Reintroduction Project

Location: Society Islands, French Polynesia    

Project Since: 2004

Mission:
To preserve and enhance the survival prospects of all surviving endemic tree snail species of the family Partulidae within their natural range in French Polynesia, and to re-establish the International breeding program’s Extinct in
the Wild Partula species on their natural range islands.

Highlights:
6 species were released in 2018 on Tahiti and Moorea islands, and there is evidence of survival.

Wildlife SOS

Location: Chhattisgarh, India

Project Since: 2015

Mission:
Wildlife SOS aims to protect and preserve India’s wildlife, run rehabilitation and rescue centers for wildlife, conserve habitats, raise awareness, conduct research, study biodiversity and provide sustainable livelihoods for communities otherwise dependent on wildlife to earn a livelihood.

Highlights:
In India, sloth bear conflicts in the form of attacks on people are a major threat to the species. This project is attempting to understand sloth bear behavior dynamics better in the hopes of mitigating the problem. The project will put GPS collars on 10 sloth bears for two years. This will not only allow for a look at sloth bear activity and how it pertains to human–bear conflicts, but it will also provide significant data on the general ecology of this species in this part of India.

Silent Forest: Asian Songbird Crisis

Location: Bali, Indonesia

Project Since: 2015

Mission:
To improve the situation of Asian songbirds in their natural habitat and to develop an increased knowledge and understanding of the threats to these birds and how zoos can contribute to save them.

Highlights:
Regular supplementation of captive-bred Bali mynas is showing success, as there are recent signs that the critically endangered bird is increasing and expanding its population within Bali Barat National Park. Free-flying individuals have now been recorded outside of the park’s eastern border. This area may hold suitable habitat for Bali Myna, while there may be possibilities to involve tourists and tourist infrastructure in actively managing areas for the myna.

Cranes of Asia: Muraviovka Park

Location: Tambovski District of the Amur Region, Russia – on the border of China

Project Since: 1999

Mission:
Muraviovka Park demonstrates wetland and natural resource management that sustains rare wildlife while involving and benefitting local communities. The Park disseminates effective conservation methods through the Amur Region and beyond, linking local, regional, and international communities who share a vision for healthy co-existence of migratory waterbirds and people.

Highlights:
In 2021 the program found three pairs of red-crowned cranes in the park that fledged five chicks among them, as well as one territorial pair and one to five summering subadults. A partner using a drone counted 30 nests of the oriental stork and 51 territorial pairs of the white-naped crane – twice as many as in 2020. In the fall, the drone spotted a pre-migratory flock of 18 wild red-crowned cranes. The program has successfully raised funds to purchase a drone in early 2022; such monitoring will provide valuable data on population numbers, breeding success, and important breeding, feeding, and roosting sites that need special protection. In 2021, the captive pair of red-crowned cranes once again raised two chicks, who are now as big as their parents, and their release is expected in spring 2022.

Turtle Survival Alliance

Location: Cambodia

Project Since: 2005

Mission:
Transforming passion for turtles into conservation action.

Highlights:
In 2021 the program successfully released 61 head-started southern river terrapin into their natural habitat of Sre Ambel River System in Southwest Cambodia. Acoustic transmitters were attached to all of the turtles so the research team can study their movement, dispersal, habitat utilization, and survival rate in the wild. For the first time in 20 years, at least five captive females produced clutches at the Koh Kong Reptile Conservation Center.