education and inspiration team volunteers information booklet · 2019-01-30 · 4 | p a g e 21st...

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Education and Inspiration Team Volunteers Information Booklet

Dave Warren, Education Team Leader. Blair Drummond Safari Park Natalie Jones, Education Team. Volunteer coordinator. By Stirling [email protected] FK9 4UR Direct No: 01786 843105 Telephone: 01786 841456

mailto:[email protected]

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Contents: General Info and Contents Page 3 Save the Rhino Campaign Page 4 21

st Century Tiger Campaign

Page 5 International Vulture Programme Page 6 Bugland and Lemurland Page 7-11 About our Animals Blair Drummond Safari Parks Mission Statement: Provide a first-class experience for all its visitors and further promote their understanding and respect for animals and the environment. Continue to support, participate and raise public awareness of global and local conservation initiatives. Demonstrate its commitment to preserving world resources through best working practices. Education Volunteer Role Education Volunteers help to make sure our visitors have a fun and enjoyable day out at the safari park by offering extra activities. These activities may include fundraising, manning activity stalls or standing by enclosures to answer any public questions and help them to spot the animals. Our Education Volunteers will ideally come in once a week or once a fortnight throughout the open season, preferably weekends out with the school holidays (March-October). 2014 Season The 2014 Season begins on our opening day – the 22

nd of March 2014. This year Blair Drummond Safari and

Adventure Park is launching three new fundraising campaigns for Tigers (21st

Century Tiger), Vultures (International Vulture Programme) and Rhinos (Save the Rhino). Your main role this year will be educating the public about these campaigns. What fundraising stall you are on will work on a rotational basis so you can get as much of a varied experience with us as possible. When at these fundraising stalls you will educate the public about these species, try to raise funds and answer any of the publics’ general questions. You may also be required to be in various other sections of the park (mainly Bugland or Lemurland) in order to chat with and educate the public. About this Booklet Within the following pages of this booklet you will find information about these species and the campaigns, you can feel free to bring this booklet in with you when you are volunteering as a go to for information. Don’t feel like you need to know all, or even half of, this information, it is simply for your own interest and to make your role that bit easier. Feel free to do your own research about these campaigns if you would like to but please clear any of this information with Dave Warren or Kirsty Morrison before telling members of the public. It is important that what you say correlates with the information being given out elsewhere in the park and with Blair Drummond Safari Park’s views and beliefs. This booklet also contains basic information about other animals and sections within the park.

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Save the Rhino (www.savetherhino.org) We are raising funds to help save rhinos through Save the Rhino (connecting conservation and communities). You may be asked to be in our Rhino Building with a Touch Table (rare animal artefacts) to speak to the public about rhino conservation and make them aware of the work of Save the Rhino! There is a money spinner for the public to place their loose change if they want to donate to Save the Rhino. You will also be there to answer any questions that the public have either about the rhinos or the park in general and to ensure the public are having an enjoyable day out. Save the Rhino Mission statement Save the Rhino International works to conserve viable populations of critically endangered rhinos in Africa and Asia. We recognise that the future of wildlife is inextricably linked to the communities that share its habitat. By funding field projects and through education, our goal is to deliver material, long-lasting and widespread benefits to rhinos and other endangered species, ecosystems and to the people living in these areas. Aims

To increase the number of rhinos in genetically viable populations in the wild

To enhance the integrity of ecosystems

To ensure that local communities benefit from conservation activities About our Rhinos

We have 4 Southern White Rhinos at Blair Drummond Safari Park

Graham is our 14 year old breeding male rhino. Graham lives over the other side of the paddock in a separate building and yard as males would be solitary in the wild. Graham gets mixed in the drive through section with the females when they are coming into season.

Dot is our 14 year old breeding female rhino who has had 3 calves with our male Graham. She can be quite grumpy and is very distinctive with her straight horn.

Lucy is our 8 year old female who we hope to breed from in the future. Lucy snapped her horn off in late 2013 during the night. It didn’t seem to bother her too much and the horn will grow back.

Angus is our rhino calf who was born to Dot in November 2011. Once Angus is old enough (3 or 4) he will be moved onto another collection to become a breeding male.

Frequently Asked Questions from the Public What is their horn made of? – Their horn is made of keratin, the same stuff as our hair and nails. Do you go in with them? – No. We do not go in with any of our large animals; this is unsafe for both the animals and the keepers. The rhinos aren’t usually aggressive to their keepers and often enjoy a good scratch, but this is only done through the bars. What do they eat? – Just grasses and hay. Keepers will occasionally give them fruit or vegetables if they are doing training with them but this is like junk food for rhinos and isn’t good for them! How long do they live? – Up to 50 years Interesting Fact: If we continue to poach rhinos at the same rate as we are poaching them just now (the rate is currently increasing), all 5 rhino species will be extinct in the wild by 2026!

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21

st Century Tiger – ALTA (www.21stcenturytiger.org)

We are raising funds to help save tigers through 21

st Century Tiger (giving tigers a future). You may be asked to be

on our Tiger Platform with a couple of tiger related artefacts to speak to the public about tiger conservation and make them aware of the work of 21

st Century Tiger! There is a money pot for the public to donate to 21

st Century

Tiger. You will also be there to answer any questions that the public have either about the tigers or the park in general and to ensure the public are having an enjoyable day out. 21st Century Tiger is a wild tiger conservation initiative between Dreamworld Wildlife Foundation and Zoological Society of London that raises funds for wild tiger conservation projects. (ZSL is a registered charity in England and Wales no.208728) Established in 1997, it is one of the top seven tiger funding agencies globally and has contributed over £1.9 million to over 130 individual proposals for 70 tiger projects in seven countries worldwide. Global Tiger Patrol, a member of the initiative since 1997, stepped down in 2012 after setting up its highly successful Travel Operators for Tigers (TOFT) as a separate entity. 21

st Century Tiger works closely with their sister organisation Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance (ALTA) which funds

Amur tiger and Amur leopard conservation in the Russian Far East. 21

st Century Tiger’s Mission: working together to save the tiger in the wild for future generations.

They hope to achieve this mission achieve this by:

Raising funds that significantly contribute to the conservation of tigers in the wild.

Selecting appropriate projects based on strict criteria agreed by the partners in alignment with the Global Tiger Recovery Program.

Raising the profile of tigers and promoting public awareness of tiger conservation through effective communication.

About our Tigers

We have 2 tigers at Blair Drummond Safari Park

Genghis is our elderly male - thought to be 18/19 years old, big cats have a similar lifespan to domestic cats (15-20 years). Genghis is a hybrid tiger (Amur X Bengal); he was not bred at the park as we do not believe in breeding hybrids. Hybrids, such as Genghis, would not occur naturally in the wild and has been done by humans out of lack of knowledge or purposefully to create larger tigers. Despite this Genghis deserves a good home with us for his last few years.

Bella is our young female (about 8 years old) and she is an Amur tiger. Bella is a good quality breeding female, and once Genghis passes, she will be paired with a breeding male. Bella is a very vocal tiger and keeps Genghis going, they are very good companions.

Frequently Asked Questions from the Public Why are they sleeping? – Cats sleep for approximately 20 hours a day, that includes our tigers. Do you go in with them? – NO! We do not go in with any of our large animals; this is unsafe for both the animals and the keepers. The tigers would simply see us as food if we went in. What do they eat? – In the wild tigers will eat deer, wild pig, small mammals and occasionally birds. Here at the park they are fed mainly beef, occasionally horse or goat. Why are they striped? – Tigers stripes act as camouflage so that they can sneak up on their prey without being seen through the trees.

http://www.21stcenturytiger.org/about-us/global-tiger-patrol/

http://alta.zslsites.org/

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Interesting Fact: The white spots on the back of the tigers’ ears act as eye spots so that when they are cubs they are less likely to be attacked by another animal. International Vulture Programme – Hawk Conservancy Trust (www.hawk-conservancy.org/ivp/) We are raising funds by selling wristbands for the International Vulture Programme. You may be asked to be in our Bird of Prey hut to speak to the public about vulture conservation and make them aware of the work of the International Vulture Programme through the Hawk Conservancy Trust! You will be required to sell £1 wristbands to the public and the money will go to the International Vulture Programme. You will also be there to answer any questions that the public have either about the birds of prey in the centre or the park in general and to ensure the public are having an enjoyable day out. Why conserve vultures? Vultures are key species in ecosystems where they occur. They consume more dead animals than other scavengers and play a major role in nutrient recycling. Recent research has highlighted the importance of vultures in controlling the spread of some diseases. Vultures are also dedicated parents, social and gregarious, extremely fussy about being clean (after eating) and extraordinarily graceful on the wing. Vultures are revered in many countries and represented the goddess of childbirth in ancient Egypt. International Vulture Programme

Vultures are an ecologically vital group of birds that face a range of threats

Many populations are under pressure and some species are facing extinction

Run by the Hawk Conservancy Trust, the International Vulture Programme is supported by a growing international partnership and operates a range of projects in southern Africa and south Asia

About the Hawk Conservancy Trust The Hawk Conservancy Trust is a registered charity that has worked in the fields of conservation, education, research and rehabilitation for many years. Set in 22 acres of woodland and wildflower meadow, there are more than 150 birds of prey on view, from owls to eagles. Many of these birds are involved in our spectacular flying demonstrations, whilst the others are part of important breeding or environmental enrichment projects. Around the grounds you will find information about our many conservation projects in the UK and overseas. About our Vulture

We have 1 Rüppell’s Griffon Vulture at Blair Drummond Safari Park

Alex is our 8 year old male Rüppell’s Griffon Vulture. Alex was wild caught and parent reared. He spent the first half of his life in captivity as an animal actor; he appeared in the film Alexander. When Alex came to the Safari Park he had never been free flown by his previous trainers, so the falconers at Blair Drummond Safari Park had to work hard with him to get him to where he is today. Now Alex takes part in the Bird of Prey Centre’s free flying display and acts as an animal ambassador trying to change the publics’ perception of vultures.

Interesting Fact: Three of South Asia’s vulture species have declines by 97%. Another species has declined by a shocking 99.9% in the past 15 years.

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Bugland “Bugland is a small walk-round conservation area for micro-fauna! The area is used to promote the vital work that bugs and insects do to prop up the world as we know it. It is a quiet space, specifically designed to attract native insects and wildlife. There are plenty of signs and information about the beasties that may reside here. Keep your eyes peeled, inhabitants are a lot harder to spot than our elephants!” You may be asked to be in our Bugland section, possibly with some microbeasties, to speak to the public about native species conservation and encourage them to do more to save our native wildlife! You will also be there to answer any questions that the public have either about Bugland or the park in general and to ensure the public are having an enjoyable day out. Lemurland Lemurland is our walkthrough lemur enclosure. The enclosure includes three species of lemurs (Red Ruffed Lemurs, Ringtail Lemurs, Brown Lemurs) as well as Red River Hogs, Somali Sheep, African Spurred Tortoises and a variety of invertebrates native to Africa. On busy days you may be asked to be in our Lemurland section to supervise the public and animal interactions and to ensure no negative interactions occur. You will also be required to monitor the public around the gateways to make sure they are not letting lemurs through the gates. While in Lemurland you will be asked to talk to the public about our lemurs and/or conservation and issues in Madagascar. You will also be there to answer any questions that the public have either about Lemurland or the park in general, or to point them in the direction of an appropriate member of staff and to ensure the public are having an enjoyable day out.

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General Information Other Animals in the Park Pets Farm Area Meerkats

Family group (mum, dad, and offspring) – no names

11 meerkats – similar size to wild groups (this number will vary throughout the season)

Only alphas will breed, the rest act like baby sitters to their brothers and sisters

They eat a mixture of different foods at the park including meat, fish, eggs, crickets, locusts, mealworms, as well as fruit and veg – in the wild they would mainly eat insects

Life span 12-14 years

Live in groups of around 20 called “gangs” or “mobs”

Deserts and arid landscapes (harsh conditions – little water)

Southern Africa – Kalahari Desert (Botswana), Namib Desert (Namibia), Angola and South Africa

Listed by IUCN as LEAST CONCERN Humboldt Penguins

Currently 5 penguins (Forrest [f], Billy [m] + Sunny [f], Pete [m] + Damien [f])

They get fed sprats at the park and would eat various small fish in the wild

Humboldt penguins nest on the rocky South American coastline (Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina)

All 18 species of penguin live in the Southern Hemisphere, 16 of these do NOT live in cold Antarctica

Live in large colonies – no leader within these, simply multiple monogamous pairs

They are birds but they cannot fly, instead they have evolved to swim (can swim at 30mph)

Life span is around 20 years

Listed by IUCN as VULNERABLE Asian Short Clawed Otters

One male (Harry) and one female (Sally)

Smallest otter species in the world

They live in the mangrove swamps and freshwater wetlands across Asia (India, China, Taiwan etc)

They are fed various fish and meats at the park

They live in family groups and pair for life

Life span is up to 16 years

Listed by IUCN as VULNERABLE Common Marmosets

Currently have 15 marmosets (this will vary throughout the seaon)

Family group that consists of mum, dad and all their offspring (they don’t have names)

They come from Brazil in South America

They are fed gum, fruit, veg and insects in the park – in the wild they mainly eat tree sap and insects


Listed by IUCN as LEAST CONCERN

Black and White Ruffed Lemurs

Four sisters – Tia (one eye), Mia, Anya and Ziggy

Endemic to the island of Madagascar (as with all lemurs)

They are primates but they are NOT monkeys

Largest of all the lemurs living today

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In the park they are fed a variety of vegetables, in the wild they would mainly eat fruits (these fruits would be closer in nutritional value to our vegetables)

Females are dominant

Their call is a territory call, they are letting other lemurs know that this is their patch

Life span can be up to 36 years

Listed by IUCN as CRITICALLY ENDANGERED Dwarf Mongoose

Unrelated trio (two males and one female – no names)

They are fed a variety of insects (just like they would eat in the wild)

Similar social structure as meerkats (as they are in the same family) but haven’t bred yet

They are found across Central and Eastern Africa

Life span is about 8 years

Listed by IUCN as LEAST CONCERN Californian Sea Lions

Four females (Bella, Bali, Poppy, Lola)

They are fed a variety of fish (mackerel, sprats etc)

SEA LIONS not SEALS (sea lions have external ears and can walk on all fours)

Male create territories on the beach and females wander through these territories to choose a male

They are found along the west coast of North America

Sea lions are incredibly active in the wild, spending a lot of their day hunting for fish, they are also extremely intelligent, so doing lots of training and enrichment with them keeps them busy and happy


Listed by IUCN as LEAST CONCERN Amur Tigers (aka Siberian Tiger)

One hybrid male (Genghis) and one pure bred female (Bella)

They are fed a variety of meat (horse, calf, goat)

Largest of all the big cats

Solitary in the wild

Found in a small area of the Russian Far East

Life span is about 15-20 years

Listed by IUCN as ENDANGERED Drive Through Sections Grant’s Zebra

We currently have 3 non breeding males

They mainly eat grasses and hay (may be supplemented with dry feeds)

Smallest of the six subspecies of plains zebra

Live in family groups of up to 18 zebra

They are found in Zambia, Tanzania, the Congo and Kenya



Greater Kudu


They live in small herds of 6 to 20 individuals

They are found across Eastern and Southern Africa

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Listed by IUCN as LEAST CONCERN Common Eland


Can be found in herds of up to 500 individuals

They are found across Southern and Eastern Africa

Life span is about 15-20 years

Listed by IUCN as LEAST CONCERN Kafue Lechwe


They gather in very large herds (can be thousands of individuals)

They are found in Botswana, Zambia, The Republic of Congo, Namibia, Angola and the Kafue Flats


Listed by IUCN as VULNERABLE Ankole Cattle


Live in managed herds

Native to Africa, they have been domesticated for their meat, milk and leather


Listed by IUCN as DOMESTICATED Helmeted Guinea Fowl

They are fed a grain mix

Form flocks of about 25 birds that roost together

They are found in Africa and breed in the Sahara

Life span is about 10 to 15 years

Listed by IUCN as LEAST CONCERN African Lion

One male (Dudley) and 6 females

Teekay (one of the females) has had two cubs with Dudley: Libby in 2011 and Karis in 2013

They are fed a variety of meat (horse, calf, goat)

Live in sociable groups called prides with multiple females and 1-3 males

They are found across much of Africa

Life span is about 15 to 20 years

Listed by IUCN as VULNERABLE Bactrian Camel

We currently have three males who are brothers


They live in herds in the wild

Native to the mountains of Central Asia


Listed by IUCN as CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

American Bison


Females live in maternal herds with other females and their young and males live in bachelor herds

They are found across North America

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Listed by IUCN as NEAR THREATENED Pere David Deer


Live in herds

Originally came from China


Listed by IUCN as EXTINCT IN THE WILD Fallow Deer


Live in herds up to 150 individuals

They are found across Eurasia


Listed by IUCN as LEAST CONCERN Rest of the Park African Savannah Elephant

We have 2 elderly unrelated female elephants (Toto and Mondula or Mondy)

They are fed mainly browse (chopped tree branches), hay, grasses and occasionally fruit and vegetables for training – each elephant eats over 100kg of food a day

The females and young males live in matriarchal family herds, where as the males are either solitary or gather in bachelor herds

They are found across Central and Southern Africa


Listed by IUCN as VULNERABLE

Southern White Rhino

We have four rhinos at the park, two males (Graham, Angus) and two females (Dot, Lucy)

They are fed mainly browse (tree branches), hay, grasses and occasionally fruit and vegetables for training

White rhinos are the most social of all the rhinos and the females live in herds of up to 14 individuals, the males are solitary once they reach maturity

They are found across Southern Africa


Listed by IUCN as NEAR THREATENED

Ostrich

We have one male and two female ostrich

Their diet consists mainly of plant matter but they will occasionally eat insects

They live in nomadic groups of 5 to 50 birds

They are found across Africa



Giraffe

We have 5 female hybrid Rothschild giraffe (Keisha, Harriet, Kelly, Bella, Ruby)

They mainly eat grasses, hay, browse and are given a dry feed

Females and their young live in herds of up to 30 individuals, males are solitary or live in bachelor herds

They are found across Southern and Eastern Africa

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Listed by IUCN as LEAST CONCERN (although Rothschilds are listed as ENDANGERED) West African Chimpanzee

We have one male (Chippy) and 4 female chimps (Blossom, Rosie, Tupelo, Copper)

They are APES not MONKEYS (monkeys have tails, apes do not)

They mainly eat fruit and vegetables, but would occasionally catch small mammals or birds to eat in the wild. They occasionally catch ducks to eat or steal their eggs at the safari park.

Live in groups that range from 15 to 150 individuals

They are found in West Africa


Listed by IUCN as ENDANGERED

Ring Tailed Lemur

We currently have nine ring tailed lemurs, four females (Lucy, Beru, Princess, Angelina) and five males (Buddha, Timmy, Rebel, Junior, Julian) – this may vary throughout the season

Endemic to the island of Madagascar (as with all lemurs)

They are primates but they are NOT monkeys

In the park they are fed a variety of vegetables, in the wild they would mainly eat fruits (these fruits would be closer in nutritional value to our vegetables) and occasionally insects

Live in groups of up to 30 individuals with a dominant female



Red Ruffed Lemur

We currently have two red ruffed lemurs (Red [m] + Manja [f]) – this may change throughout the season

As above



Listed by IUCN as ENDANGERED

Brown Lemur

We currently have three male brown lemurs (Al, George, Gav)

As above




Red River Hog

We have 3 male red river hogs (Tom, Dick, Harry)

Eat grasses, berries, roots, insects, molluscs, small vertebrates and carrion

Live in groups of up to 20 individuals with one dominant male

They are found across Central Africa



African Spurred Tortoise

We have two tortoises (Monty [m], Mali [f])

They mainly eat endives (grasses, weeds and some lettuce species) however are often fed fruit and vegetables in the pet trade which can lead to shell deformities

They are solitary in the wild and are the third largest species of tortoise

They are found in the Sahara desert in Northern Africa

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Listed by IUCN as VULNERABLE

education and inspiration team volunteers information booklet · 2019-01-30 · 4 | p a g e 21st...

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