Zoos, Parks, Progress

I'll admit that I knew very little about the broad-nosed sevengill shark before visiting the Aquarium of the Bay.  As it happens, I still don't know much.  What I do know came mostly from a brief but enthusiastic chat I had with an aquarist that I bumped into there, trying to figure out which of the circling sharks it was.  They talked at length about the research work that the aquarium was doing with this vulnerable species, which could be found in the waters immediately outside.  They are currently working to access the levels and health of populations of this species in San Francisco Bay.

As much as we tend to tout our work supporting conservation and research in the far-flung corners of the globe, there is a tremendous amount of difference that we can make it our own backyards, working with native species in need of protection.  Zoos tend to have a wide variety of skills - wild animal veterinary medicine, animal capture/transport/restraint, rehabilitation and rearing of wild animals, egg incubation - which can make significant contributions to conservation in the field.  Some of the most logical partners for zoos and aquariums to work with are the National Parks, National Wildlife Refuges, and National Marine Sanctuaries.

Wildlife Restoration Alliance

Seeking to develop, facilitate, and promote such cooperation is the Wildlife Restoration Foundation, which describes itself as being "in the business of bringing healthy wildlife back to America's land and seascapes."  A key component of WRF's work is the concept of the Zoo-Park Partnership, in which specific zoos and aquariums team up with specific federal wildlife sites for specific projects.  Some of the examples include, but are not limited to:

• Dallas Zoo and Aransas National Wildlife Refuge - Whooping cranes
• Detroit Zoo and Isle Royale National Park - Gray wolves
• Northeastern Wisconsin Zoo and Badlands National Park - Black-tailed prairie dogs
• Oakland Zoo and Glacier National Park - Grizzly bears
• Texas State Aquarium and Padre Island National Seashore - Sea turtles

In each project, zoos and aquariums use their specific skills to assist the federal government in the mission of wildlife conservation.  In Aransas, for example, Dallas Zoo staff provide vet support when cranes are caught up for telemetry.  In Isle Royale, staff from Detroit perform genetic analysis of blood samples to monitor the wolf population for inbreeding, taking advantage of the extensive experience that zoos have in managing the genetics of small populations of wildlife.

There is no set-in-stone rule that the zoo or aquarium and the federal wildlife site have to be close neighbors - Oakland is states away from Glacier, for example - but there are clear advantages to working with a local site.  Not only does it make it easier for zoo and park staff to get back and forth, sharing personnel and resources, but it also makes it easy for the zoo to support the park in another way - public support.  Zoos that are involved in these partnerships can make exhibits themed after their partner protected areas, use those exhibits to tell the story of those landscapes and the threats that they face, and then perhaps encourage their own visitors to go to those sites and develop connections there.  National Parks, Wildlife Refuges, and Marine Sanctuaries are in constant need of political support, and political support comes from public support.

Right now, the list of zoo-park partnerships is still fairly short.  I feel that there is almost limitless potential for this project to grow.  I could happily envision a future in which every AZA member facility, as a requirement for accreditation, forms a meaningful alliance with a park or refuge.