ANNUAL REPORT 2006 - Denver Zoo

Asia, with particular focus on habitat lossand human impacts, and worked on a globalmapping project for sun bears as a memberof the IUCN Bear Specialist Group andMalayan Sun Bear Expert Team. Dr. Augerialso collaborated on conservation andeducation projects with local NGOs inIndonesia; new research examining theeffects of disturbance on Asian elephantsin Sumatra; collaborated with several localand international conservation and sciencebasedentities to develop a Sumatran-widepopulation census and monitoring protocolfor Sumatran tigers; and began developingmore in-depth research on Sumatrantigers in the Leuser Ecosystem in northernSumatra. As a result, Dave is collaboratingwith local NGOs and government agenciesto develop a network of science-basedreserves for Indonesian tropical forests.Dr. Augeri also began a new project workingwith the government of Bhutan to establishscience-based conservation planning fortigers, leopards, Himalayan black bears,and biodiversity both within and outsideof protected areas. Dave also establisheda new project examining the carnivorecomplex and its conservation in and aroundRocky Mountain National Park.Conservation Specialist, Amy Masching,continued working with the SouthernRockies Ecosystem Project and Gore RangeNatural Science School to implement thenew Citizen Science Wildlife Monitoringprogram in relation to the planned wildlifecrossing over Interstate 70. Amy also workedwith the Denver Zoo Special Events Teamto celebrate the Department’s ten-yearanniversary at Conservation Night anddevelop a new Denver Zoo Wildlife FilmFestival in partnership with the InternationalWildlife Film Festival and the Denver FilmSociety. She helped edit a book about wolfreintroduction in the southern Rockies,provided invaluable support for thedepartment along with a number ofpresentations related to the Department’swork, traveled to Mongolia to assist with thecinereous vulture project, and continued theRound-Up for Conservation program and thegrasslands species literature database.A number of Denver Zoo staff membersfrom other departments were active inconservation and research projects in2006. Dr. Dave Kenny again contributedto conservation and research efforts onargali, ibex, small carnivores, and cinereousvultures in Mongolia and Dr. FeliciaKnightly worked hard on prosimiandisease screening in Madagascar. Fromthe Herpetology and Fishes Division, TomWeaver and Derek Cossaboon traveledto Panama to help with a conservationand inventory project focused on goldenfrogs and other reptiles and amphibians,while Rick Haeffner and Alex Saundersassisted with golden frog conservationefforts from Denver Zoo. In addition, TimTrout continued his work with a Komododragon conservation project in Indonesia;Bryon Shipley conducted research on theecology and movement patterns of prairierattlesnakes in eastern Colorado; and RickHaeffner and Alex Saunders worked on theconservation of Malagasy fish. In the BirdDivision, John Azúa helped with a project toconserve lilac-crowned parrots and trogonsin Jalisco, Mexico. Mary Jo Willis workedon cinereous vulture reproductive ecologyin both Mongolia and in captivity, workingwith Research Associate Dr. Julie Long onthe latter. Mary Jo and Travis Garrett alsocontinued working on a Humboldt penguinproject in Chile. Jessica Meehan andJennifer Nixon assisted with captive rearingof piping plovers for a recovery programin Michigan. From the Mammals Division,Dale Leeds assisted with Asian elephantconservation and research in Indonesia,Malaysia, and Sri Lanka, while Steve Vennebecame involved in our new carnivorecomplex research and conservation projectin Rocky Mountain National Park.The Animal Department also coordinatedDenver Zoo involvement in and financialsupport to a variety of Association of Zoosand Aquariums conservation initiatives.These included the Tapir Specialist Group,Okapi SSP, Puerto Rican Crested Toad SSP,Maned Wolf SSP, Grevy’s Zebra SSP, Birdof Prey Working Group, the InternationalRhino Foundation, and Elephant ManagersAssociation.From Education, Brad Parks once againcoordinated the annual Christmas BirdCount and Meghan Rubinstein beganimplementing an education component tothe conservation work in Mongolia. Finally,keepers from Denver Zoo’s chapter ofthe American Association of Zoo Keepers(AAZK) raised funds for conservation effortsfor Siberian tigers, orangutans, black andwhite rhinos, bongo, control of an anthraxoutbreak in Grevy’s zebras in Kenya, andsupport of the World Parrot Trust.Denver Zoo provided financial supportfor additional field conservation projectsin several countries, primarily conductedby our 19 unpaid Research Associates and10 graduate students. Dr. Nancy Irlbeckcontinued her work as a Research Associateand nutritional analyst for the Zoo,providing nutritional support for mammaland bird species in all departments,including food quality analyses for DenverZoo species. Other significant department-Left | Bird Area Supervisor, Mary Jo Willis, examines a cinereous vulture nest site in Mongolia.23