Amphibian Signature Campaign
We collected over 7000 signatures during the Wildlife
Week India campaign.
Please download the signature campaign form, get it filled out (as
many copies as possible) and return to us so that South
Asia will contribute their share of signatures to the 2
million envisioned to collect.
Amphibian
Biodiversity Conservation (ABC) Training Course in
India --Didactic
and hands-on field training
--
Didactic and hands-on field training -- The Durrell WL
Conservation Trust (DWCT) conducted an ABC course at
Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala December 07 with a WAZA
and Ruffort grant. The course was endorsed by Wildlife
Institute of India, Central Zoo Authority, Amphibian
Ark, CBSG South Asia, ZOO/WILD, and Amphibian Network of
South Asia. Participants numbered 30 with 4 resource
persons. WAZA & Rufford supported 19 participants and
CZA, 5. Training objective was to teach an action mode
in case of chytrid emergencies.
Amphibian Ark-Global Leapfrog event
--
ZOO coordinated this event in S. Asia facilitated by
SAZARC rep of AArk Steering committee. ZOO provided
materials for four S. Asian countries: amphibian fact
sheets, frog line drawings and amphibian information
booklet from ZOO’s amphibian ed kits. All used this
information extensively in programmes, reported them and
the excellent media coverage throughout S Asia. The
event was conducted in 10 zoos in Bangladesh, India, Sri
Lanka and Nepal.
Educator
Training at ABC
--
was arranged by ZOO/SANIZE with ZOOs educators
describing methods to inform people about the amphibian
crisis, demonstrated how to use the amphibian packets
and invited biologists to join ZOO/SANIZE as educators.
ZOO finds Field biologists as best educators as they
conduct their field work in rural areas where such
education is scarce.
Amphibian
Education programme for South Asian Zoo Association
conference
The 8th South Asian Zoo Association conference was
conducted near Ahmedbad, Gujarat from 30 January to 03
February, 2008. ZOO’s amphibian education kit -- FROGS
ROCK! – was the centrepiece of an intensive education
training conducted for SAZARC participants. The current
amphibian crisis was explained in detail along with a
brief on the status of amphibians in South Asia.
Central Zoo
Authority International Conference on Captive Breeding
CZA conducted their first International Conference on
the topic of captive breeding in February 2008. Zoo
experts in population biology and captive propagation
from many countries attended and committed to assist CZA
make a giant leap into the 21st Century with all their
programmes. Gordon Reid, WAZA President and one of the
early AArk minders, attended and presented an excellent
talk on amphibians, the utility of containers and AArk
sponsorship of same. At the meeting WAZA President and
SAZARC representative could speak to the Indian
Environment Minister and Special Secretary about the
Amphibian Crisis.
Amphibians on
the Map – thanks to Sea World Conservation Fund
CBSG & WAZA decided to “jump in” to amphibian
protection, ZOO put up a grant for a proposal called
“Amphibians on the Map”. We wrote it up by name in our
monthly magazine. It wasn’t funded ! CBSG, WAZA and
Chester Zoo all contributed something so some kind of
education programme could get off the ground in SAsia.
Recently we submitted a similar grant to Sea World CF.
Now, thanks to SWCF, ZOO/SANIZE/ANSA will be able to
continue AArk education aggressively in SAsian countries
due to their generous grant. So 5 Frog adapted to South
Asian, S. Asian CAMP GAA fresh figures for stats, CAMP
summaries suitable for laypersons, supplying more
countries in our region will help observe YoTF 08 in a
grand manner.
Animal
Welfare Fortnightly
We
had developed an amphibian packet using welfare theme
for distribution during AWF 2008. During AWF 2008, 2000
amphibian education packets were distributed to zoos,
forest department, Non-governmental organizations,
schools, colleges and universities throughout India.
Thanks to
Universities for Federation of Animal Welfare,
UK.
World Environment Day WED
2008
We
had developed a packet "Frog Rock! On the Amphibian
Ark!" and printed 7000 packets to be used during World
Environment Day and Wildlife Week . This packet has
information for everyone interested in biodiversity and
amphibian conservation with a poster and usual activity
items such as Frogs Matter to South Asia booklet,
placard, mask, sticker, Rakhi and a bumper sticker meant
to be stick on the vehicle bumper. Thanks to Chester
Zoo, UK.
South
Asia AArk Summer Alert or South Asia AArk SA
Amphibian Crisis campaigners should continue to create
awareness among public and policy makers about the
perilous plight of amphibians in South Asia and
virtually all regions of the world.
AArk South Asia intends for the campaign to:
·
Increase awareness and understanding of
the amphibian extinction crisis and Amphibian Ark’s role
·
Motivate individuals and organizations to
contribute their time and energy to educate others about
the need to protect amphibian.
·
Increase awareness of environmental
protection and related issues such as global warming.
We had developed a sticker
and a bookmark combined of AArk SA logo and some
frog facts. This is a give-a-way material. Any one can
just zip into a school room or class, or a children’s
party, or even some other organiser’s NGO’s World
Environment Day and give a very short presentation about
the Amphibian Crisis and give each child the sticker and
a bookmark with an Amphibian theme and some simple
facts.
Our education staff and local partners
will be hitting schools and zoos in Coimbatore on WED
with these handouts, wearing a frog mask and a t-shirt.
Thanks
to Sea World Conservation Fund.
To know more about related programmes click below:
2008 Year of
the Frog;
India Campaign for Amphibian Aark;
Signature Campaign
