News and Stories

Guest blogger: Christi Nakajima, AmeriCorps Visitor Engagement Member

Every year, staff at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden can submit requests for a specific conservation project to receive a grant. This year the conservation committee had a particularly hard time choosing which projects to fund as a large number of highly compelling proposals were received.

Here are the seven projects and their Zoo staff liaisons that received full or partial funding this year:

April Smith – African Manatee Research and Conservation in Senegal   

Kimberly Klosterman – Blood Lead Analyzer to Assist with Local Raptor Rehabilitation

Christina Gorsuch – The relationship between allostatic load and reproduction in the African forest elephant

Joann Latham – Conserving a population of critically endangered Bali Starlings in the local community through local breeding and educational awareness

Theresa Clyatt-Larson – Forest Guardians of Health in Harmony – Helping to End Deforestation in Indonesia

Paul Reinhart – Community Anti-Poaching Patrols in the Cardamom Rainforest, Cambodia

Jenna Wingate – Conserving a Stronghold Population of Endangered African Wild Dogs in the South-East of Zimbabwe

Congratulations to all of you, and thank you for advancing the Cincinnati Zoo’s conservation mission!

Project Details

April Smith – African Manatee Research and Conservation in Senegal       

African manatees are threatened by illegal hunting, fisheries bycatch, and human development. Accurate figures on the number of manatees killed via hunting and bycatch each year are sparse due to the lack of long-term research capacity in the areas they inhabit, so it’s difficult to assess their population status and know how to best conserve them.

Thus, this project will use its funding from the Cincinnati Zoo to train researchers and support wild manatee threat assessments, aid in genetics and feeding ecology research, and raise awareness about threats to manatees through educational outreach programs. It will also engage with local communities to find practical and sustainable conservation solutions, like alternative livelihood programs for hunters. Finally, funding for this program will assist with hosting the first-ever African Manatee Symposium where stakeholders from multiple countries will collaborate on research and conservation efforts to benefit manatees and the wildlife which share their habitat.

Kimberly Klosterman – Blood Lead Analyzer to Assist with Local Raptor Rehabilitation

Local raptors, including hawks, falcons, and eagles, are significantly threatened by lead poisoning. When animals like rodents or coyotes are hunted using lead ammunition, they are not always retrieved by the shooter. Other times, a gut pile contaminated with lead will be left behind. Most raptors scavenge, and when they come across animals killed through these means, they can come into contact with lead and fall ill and even die. Thankfully, RAPTOR Inc. is a local non-profit organization that rescues and rehabilitates injured and ill birds of prey, among other important conservation actions. It can be difficult to accurately separate lead poisoning from other potential ailments and the non-profit has limited funding for specialized tests. Therefore, this grant will allow RAPTOR Inc. to purchase a LeadCare II Blood Lead Analyzer Kit, which will allow it to screen more of the raptors admitted to the rehabilitation center for lead toxicity. It may also help identify lead contamination in the environment and answer important research questions.

Kimberly Klosterman explains one way we can help local raptors: “If you find an injured or orphaned bird of prey, you can call RAPTOR Inc.’s Dispatch Line – (513) 825-3325. The dispatcher can give detailed instructions about how to proceed.”

Christina Gorsuch – The relationship between allostatic load and reproduction in the African forest elephant

Little is known about the biology and reproduction of African forest elephants. Forest elephants have their first calf about nine to 12 years later than savanna elephants do, but it is unclear whether this difference is biologically natural, or if physiological stress caused by changes to the surrounding habitat lead to delayed reproduction and longer periods between births. Between 2002 and 2011, the population of forest elephants in central Africa declined by 62% as a result of habitat loss and poaching. Thus, understanding potential influences on their reproduction will be important for determining the best strategy for protecting them. This grant will help Dr. Chusyd conduct research on wild African forest elephants by allowing her to conduct long-term hormone monitoring, establish ovarian activity profiles, quantify the relationship between external stressors and reproduction, and create a fecal sample repository for future studies.

“There are few places left on the planet where conservation and science stands to make a real difference and I believe the information discovered by this project could further help protect one of the most important ecosystems on the planet. If you’re interested in learning more about this project please visit https://iufoundation.fundly.com/elephants!” – Christina Gorsuch

Joann Latham – Conserving a population of critically endangered Bali Starlings in the local community through local breeding and educational awareness

Bali starlings are critically endangered, with less than 50 individuals left in the wild. The demand by collectors for this exotic bird has led to its drastic decline and the lack of engagement from the community has left the Bali starling without a buffer against the illegal wildlife trade. To save the Bali starling, the Begawan Foundation began a community-based conservation program to give residents in the village of Melinggih Kelod the opportunity to breed these birds for release. The foundation has also provided conservation and eco-tourism education for students through local schools and the foundation’s own Learning Centre. The community has supported the Begawan Foundation’s efforts and, in 2018, created a local law to forbid the shooting, trapping, and hunting of Bali starlings.

This grant will help fund equipment, supplies, and transportation for the Learning Centre, the salaries of education staff, bird food for the breeding and release program, equipment for the breeding centre, and the salaries of conservation staff.

Theresa Clyatt-Larson – Forest Guardians of Health in Harmony – Helping to End Deforestation in Indonesia

Bornean orangutans are critically endangered and rely on the rainforest they inhabit for survival. Previously, the communities bordering Gunung Palung National Park were extremely poor and had little access to adequate, affordable healthcare, thus leading many families to turn to illegal logging to survive. Fortunately, in 2007, Health in Harmony began working in the area to provide village-wide healthcare, alternative livelihood training, and other programs through their Indonesian partner organization Alam Sehat Lestari. Community members can sell their chainsaws and obtain micro-enterprise loans in exchange for a commitment to stop logging, and can be trained in organic farming to receive income from a more sustainable source. This solution has resulted in a 90% decrease in households participating in illegal logging since 2007 and a 67% decrease in infant mortality. This grant will help fund Health in Harmony’s Forest Guardian Program. Forest Guardians are respected members of their communities who connect villagers to the programs offered by Health in Harmony while monitoring the rainforest for illegal logging activity.

“Here in Cincinnati, people can help orangutans by becoming informed consumers, by being aware of if the products they use in their daily life contain palm oil and if the companies that make those products support sustainable palm oil. ” – Theresa Clyatt-Larson

Paul Reinhart – Community Anti-Poaching Patrols in the Cardamom Rainforest, Cambodia

The Cardamom Rainforest Landscape in Cambodia is home to over 50 IUCN Threatened species, including the hairy-nosed otter, dhole, and clouded leopard. The Chi Phat community, which is located within the rainforest, once relied on poaching and illegal logging for sustenance. However, Wildlife Alliance has provided the families of Chi Phat with alternative livelihoods through community-based ecotourism. As a result, hunting of endangered wildlife has declined significantly. However, the Cardamom rainforest is still under threat. Hunters from outside of the community enter the forest to set snares for trapping wild pigs and other animals for the illegal wildlife meat trade. These snares often trap and kill animals which were not the intended target, including elephants, clouded leopards, and dhole.

This grant will help cover the costs of patrolling by the Chi Phat Community Anti-Poaching Unit (CAPU). The CAPU is largely comprised of members of the Chi Phat community and currently work to protect the rainforest landscape. Funding from the Cincinnati Zoo will also provide rangers with the equipment necessary to conduct patrols and to detect and remove snares.

Jenna Wingate – Conserving a Stronghold Population of Endangered African Wild Dogs in the South-East of Zimbabwe

The African Wildlife Conservation Fund (AWCF) is based in Zimbabwe and is dedicated to the conservation of the region’s incredible carnivores, including the endangered African wild dog. Unfortunately, this species is threatened in part by poaching via snares and conflict with farmers, which has become more common due to Zimbabwe’s current drought. AWCF works to find and remove snares, rescue African wild dogs caught in snares, and educate local communities about the importance of protecting this declining species through classroom lessons and day trips to wildlife areas. This grant will help fund AWCF’s anti-poaching activities (including snare removal and de-snaring of African wild dogs) and day trips for school students to the Savé Valley Conservancy.