Training for Senior Staff  of Kabul Zoo

An informal but loyal Kabul Zoo Email Group, e.g. David Jones Director of North Carolina Zoo, USA, James Hogan of Mayhew Animal Home, UK, Brendan Whittington-Jones, Wildlife Manager, South Africa and Nick Lindsay, International Liaison, Zoo logical Society of London and  Zoo Outreach Organisation have been providing occasional external support to the Kabul Zoo, primarily training and some other necessities such as equipment, veterinary materials, etc.  In December, ZOO arranged a training tour for three senior officers of the Kabul Zoo: Mr. Aziz Gul Saqib, Director, Dr. Abdul Qadir Bahawi, Veterinarian and Mr. Najibullah Nazary, Zoo Educator.

Z.O.O. staff explain educational techniques to Kabul Zoo staff

Dr. Manohar, wildlife vet, demonstrates use of tranquillizer gun in ZOO Office; Kabul Zoo vet practices sighting.

Local experts and institutions in Coimbatore assisted the first three days and then R. Marimuthu, ZOO Education Officer accompanied the on a whirlwind tour and training involving the following institutions.  The Kabul Zoo Email Group thanks the following participating institutions :  Peace Institute, New Delhi;  Tamil Nadu Forest Department; Nilgiri Biosphere Nature Park, Anaikatti, Coimbatore;   VOC Park Mini Zoo, Coimbatore;  Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, Mysore; Zoo Authority of Karnataka;  Bannerghatta Biological Park, Bangalore; Wildlife S.O.S Bear Rescue Centre, Bangalore;  Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur, Chennai; Madras Crocodile Bank Trust.

For a full summary of their training tour please click here and also a detailed report with all the photos can be viewed in our February Zoos' Print at www.zoosprint.org.

Getting Along with Elephants in Sumatra

‘Getting Along With Elephants- HECx’  was conducted by ZOO in Sumatra ...first time outside of South in 1-12 December 2009.  The objective of these workshops is to train local community leaders (teacher, ngo, forester, ranger, local official, etc.)  in HEC localities to lead local people into changing behaviour that puts them in harm’s way, into behaviour that avoids confrontation altogether if possible and therefore avoids conflict.  The method promotes coexistence with elephants by teaching behavioural and biological facts which aid their understanding of elephant psychology, intrinsic  worth and unbeatable strength (DON’T IRRITATE ELEPHANTS!).  HECx stresses wildlife conservation and habitat protection by teaching about elephant decline and ecosystem degradation and theft which  instill a more sensible attitude in the youngsters who are taught by trainees.  It also conveys old methods  used by villagers when they had no help at all, which promote  coexistence.   The hoped for result is less conflict and therefore less death, injury and destruction for elephant, habitat and homo sapian.

These workshop were hosted by Flora and Fauna International - Sumatran Elephant Conservation Programme ( FFI-SECP).  For a full report by Desmerry Hamita and Kaniwa  Berliani, and more photos, please click here.  Also a detailed reports can be viewed in our February Zoos' Print at www.zoosprint.org

Sponsors for this series of workshop are U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Asian Elephant Conservation Fund, AG Zoologischer Garten Cologne Zoo, Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, and Columbus Zoo Conservation Fund.

Learning to teach with finger puppets

Art and Drama, roleplaying, games, humour are integral to
successful teaching of a tense topic

ZOO Crew was honoured with native scarves

Bhutan : Small Mammal Field Techniques Training Workshop 
 

Small Mammal Field Technique Training Workshop held in Bhutan, Sep 09

Mist Netting led by Paul Racey

Correct handling and examination of rodents by Mike Jordan

Hands on training on bats and rodents field technique workshop was organised at Bhutan at CNR, Lobesa from 7-11 September 2009.  A total of 26 participants from 10 National parks, territorial forest divisions, institutes and Nature Conservation Division, botanical garden, NGO and teaching staff from CNR attended the five day training.  The training focused on ecological field techniques and species identification.

This training was sponsored by Chester Zoo, UK and Bat Conservation International, USA

Click here for more about the training

Bat Taxonomy and Echolocation Workshop for Researchers Madurai Kamaraj University, Tamil Nadu
 

Group Photo at Madurai Kamaraj University, host of workshop on
Bat Taxonomy and Ecolocation

Participants practise laboratory techniques

A five day hands-on training workshop on bat taxonomy and call recording was organised by CCINSA/ZOO and WILD in collaboration with the School of Biological Sciences, Madurai-Kamaraj University, Madurai, Tamil Nadu from 10-14^th August 2009.  Dr. Neil Furey, from Aberdeen University, UK, currently working in Vietnam, was the principle resource person for call recording and taxonomy.     Dr. C. Srinivasulu of Osmania University, Hyderabad, helped with identification of bats in the region with his compilation on the dichotomous keys to bats of South Asia.  Click here for more about the training.

The training programme was sponsored by  Chester Zoo and Bat Conservation International

Eastern Himalayas and Western Ghats Freshwater
Biodiversity Assessment Training Workshops

    

The IUCN Species Programme and Zoo Outreach Organisation, with other partners, are undertaking two projects to assess the conservation status of selected freshwater taxa and to map their distributions; the Eastern Himalayas project is under way, and will assess the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Kaladan and Irrawaddy river basins. The second is the Western Ghats project which will encompass the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot and the associated river drainages. The aim is to submit the conservation assessments to the IUCN Red List, and to make the data freely available to promote the conservation of freshwater biodiversity.

A training workshop for the Eastern Himalayas freshwater biodiversity assessment project was held from 22 to 26 July, 2009, in Kathmandu, Nepal for the selected experts working on Eastern Himalayas freshwater fishes, molluscs and odonata. 

A training workshop for the Western freshwater biodiversity assessment project is held from 11 to 15 January 2010, in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu for the selected experts working on freshwater fishes, molluscs and odonata.  The objectives of the training were: to learn about IUCN Red List assessment, use of the Species Information Service (SIS), species distribution mapping, threat mapping, etc. in assessing the conservation status of the Freshwater fishes, Odonates, and Molluscs.

Next ZOO would be working on the following:
i) coordinating species assessment and mapping of Eastern Himalayas and Western Ghats Freshwater Biodiveristy Assessments
ii) plan and facilitate the project expert review workshops
iii)  Assist with data analysis, report writing and coordination, and report production and dissemination.