Wild Times at London Zoo!

 

Wild Times at London Zoo!

OFTEN zoos conjure up images of animals doing well, not a great deal, except dozing off and waiting for dinner.

But at London Zoo you can ditch that idea and experience an attraction that revels in a mesmerising array of activities.
All the usual suspects are there: lions, giraffes, penguins – plus ultra immersive worlds of lemurs and monkeys where these exotic creatures bound before you as you delve into their living space. 

If you’re a culture vulture you can hit the History Tour and discover the inspiration behind Winnie the Pooh, seek out seminars by world renowned specialists or have a crack at a top photography course.

If all that’s not enough, take advantage of an ‘Experience’ such as Meet the Animals, where visitors can get up close to some of the most spectacular species on earth. Or, become a Keeper for a Day and stroke a giraffe, tickle a Kune Kune pig and muck out the meerkats. 

For all you night owls the zoo also hosts late night Sunset Safaris. You can take in a host of animal feeds and talks; enjoy a selection of tasty snacks from the international food stalls, then kick back and enjoy some soothing acoustic tunes as dusk descends over London. 

Finally - and perhaps the biggest surprise to many - is the zoo’s actually a top international centre for conservation, meaning your cash is spent helping to save these charismatic creatures in the wild – and surely that’s a perfect gift for any animal lover out there!

Dolphins: slaughter in the water

Dolphins: slaughter in the water

Response to a supporter who wrote in about Japan's dolphin hunting season in Taiji:

IFAW is opposed to the inherently cruel and senseless slaughter of dolphins, porpoises and small whales that takes place in the coastal waters of Japan each year.

Unfortunately we are unable to respond to all animal cruelty situations and our efforts in Japan are focussed on commercial and scientific whaling.  However, IFAW is engaged in high-level lobbying to help persuade Japanese decision-makers to protect their marine life instead of commercially exploiting them. 

IFAW also sends teams of experts each year to the International Whaling Commission (IWC), where we work to limit Japan’s pro-hunting influence and urge for greater protection of cetaceans.

For more information on what we’re doing personally to help dolphins and our latest campaigns click on the link: http://www.ifaw.org/united-states/taxonomy/term/25

Have you seen the movie The Cove (2009), it details all the movements and undercover footage of the awful slaughters? The main person behind it, Rick O’Barry, has helped to bring the plight of these animals to a worldwide audience. He has set up a charity that sends members there every year to document what happens. I would suggest contacting them as they have personnel there who may be able to do something covertly:

Save Japan Dolphins Campaign

Earth Island Institute

2150 Allston Way, Suite 460

Berkeley, CA

94704-1375 USA

Tel: + 01 (510) 859-9100  

They are also part of a coalition of international environmental and animal groups currently working to end the dolphin hunts with relevant actions, their website is: www.savejapandolphins.org

I would also suggest contacting Marine Connection, who campaign on the Japanese drive hunts.  Please find their contact details below:

Marine Connection

PO Box 2404

London

W2 3WG

Telephone:  07931 366352

Email: info@marineconnection.org

www.marineconnection.org

Thank you for taking the time to write to us, I share your utter despair at such a senseless waste of life, and I hope this information has been of use to you.

Colin

Online update of Mutemwa and the Zambia Elephant Orphanage

Online update of Mutemwa and the Zambia Elephant Orphanage 

http://www.ifaw.org/united-states/our-work/animal-rescue/elephant-orphanage-project-zambia

Dear Mrs Tooke, thank you for your recent letter asking about how Mutemwa is doing now. 

Just to let you know she was discovered outside Sioma Ngwezi National Park along the Zambezi River, bordering Angola and Namibia, by community members at ‘Mutemwa’ and thus that is how she acquired her lovely name!  

After a brief stay in a family home, she was transferred to the Zambia Wildlife Authority HQ at Ngonyi Falls where officers cared for her around the clock until the Elephant Orphanage Project (EOP) team arrived to help stabilise her condition and assess whether she was strong enough to travel.

With help from supporters at Proflight Zambia, Mutemwa was transferred to the Lilayi Elephant Nursery via a two hour flight - cutting out what would have been a grueling two day road trip.

Elephant calves like Mutemwa, who was only three weeks old when she was found, are incredibly vulnerable and being separated from her mother would have caused her unimaginable distress, but so far she's doing well.

Her energy levels and vital signs are good, although she is suffering from an unsurprising bout of diarrhoea, something we can expect for some time until her fragile system adapts to her new milk diet.

At the Nursery little Mutemwa is being cared for around the clock by dedicated EOP elephant keepers. So fingers crossed she'll continue to do well and only improve with the wonderful help she's getting!

We at IFAW are working in close collaboration with the Zambia Wildlife Authority on the excellent Zambia Elephant Orphanage project where Mutemwa and other rescued baby elephants undergo intensive care. 

Highly trained keepers spend time with the elephants around the clock in an effort to provide stability and help with recovery from the emotional damage the elephant has suffered, taking them out for daily walks, or sitting close by their stables at night.

As soon as the calves can be weaned from milk they're moved to the Kafue National Park to join other older orphaned elephants at the EOP’s Kafue Release Facility, where they are more independent of human support and spend most of their time browsing freely in the park.

We at IFAW invest a huge amount of energy to protecting elephants. As well as our extensive work on the elimination of the ivory trade, from training anti-poaching patrols, working with consumer markets to decrease demand and assisting governments and international organisations to change and enforce laws to put a stop to this awful trade, we also secure protected areas for elephants to reduce human-elephant conflict. We have also work on the issue of live trade of elephants for entertainment in Asia, and help rehabilitate orphaned elephants in Asia and Africa through partnerships such as the Manas National Park in India. 

As is evident, our work with elephants is borne out of a love for these beautiful creatures and is not exclusive to one area or project, we are an international organisation whose efforts to protect elephants span the every continent and region on earth . 

I do hope this has answered your question and once again thank you so much for your interest in IFAW and our work.

Colin Grady

Information officer