Fondation Segré

Today is World Okapi Day. A few weeks ago, I shared a story about efforts to protect the okapi and its habitat in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo: https://lnkd.in/gTu9Jk3C Here are some other interesting things to know about the forest giraffe. 🦓 While okapis have zebra-like stripes on their hindquarters and legs, they are most closely related to giraffes. 🦒 The okapi is endemic to DRC, living in areas like the Ituri Forest and Maiko National Park. 🦓 Okapis were unknown to the Western world until 1901 and were once rumored to be the fabled "African unicorn." 🦒 Okapis communicate using infrasonic calls, which are below the range of human hearing, allowing them to avoid predators while maintaining contact with others. 🦓 The okapi's tongue is so long that it can clean its own eyelids and ears. 🦒 They have scent glands on their feet, which leave a tar-like substance to mark their territory. 🦓 Leopards are the okapi's main natural predator. 🦒 Their gestational period lasts around 440 to 450 days, unusually long for a terrestrial mammal, especially for one with a typical lifespan in the wild of 20–30 years. 🦓 Classified as endangered by the IUCN, the okapi's population faces threats from habitat loss and poaching. 🦒 The okapi is extinct in Uganda. Given their endangered status and their dependence on the forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, protecting these ecosystems is essential not only for okapi survival but also for the broader biodiversity of the region. Photos: 1+2 by Julie L. Larsen. 3: Mine.

Cerro Castillo National Park: a mosaic of forests Located in the Aysén Region, Cerro Castillo was originally created as a national reserve in 1970 and recategorized as a national park as part of the agreement signed between the State of Chile and Tompkins Conservation in 2018, which gave rise to the Route of Parks of Chilean Patagonia. Deciduous forests dominate the park, where the presence of lenga and ñirre stands out, although it is also possible to find typical Evergreen Forest species such as coigüe de magallanes. Notros, calafates, chilcos and chauras are just some of the shrub species and from November onwards, endemic species of wild orchids can be seen. These forests are home to one of the main populations of the highly endangered huemul deer in Chile. It is also home to other species such as the puma, chingue, fox, rayadito, black woodpecker, chucao and southern churrín, among others. Condors and black-chested eagles fly over the peaks of the magnificent Cerro Castillo. Learning about nature is crucial to protect it! – Parque Nacional Cerro Castillo: un mosaico de bosques Ubicado en la Región de Aysén, Cerro Castillo fue originalmente creado como reserva nacional en 1970 y recategorizado a parque nacional como parte del acuerdo firmado entre el Estado de Chile y Tompkins Conservation en el 2018, que dio origen a la Ruta de los Parques de la Patagonia. Los bosques caducifolios dominan el parque, donde destaca la presencia de lenga y ñirre, aunque también es posible encontrar especies típicas del Bosque Siempreverde como el coigüe de magallanes. Notros, calafates, chilcos y chauras son sólo algunas de las especies arbustivas y a partir de noviembre ya se pueden avistar especies endémicas de orquídeas silvestres. En estos bosques, se refugia una de las principales poblaciones del huemul en Chile. Además, es hogar de otras especies como el puma, el chingue, el zorro, rayadito, carpintero negro, chucao y churrín del sur, entre otros. Cóndores y águilas moras sobrevuelan las cumbres del magnífico Cerro Castillo. ¡Conocer para proteger! – 📷: James Alfaro, Cristian Rivas & Rody Álvarez

The National Symposium on Vulture Conservation took place on September 29, 2024, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, organised by the Bird Conservation Society of Gujarat. The event was presided over by Mr. Nityanand Srivatsava, Chief Wildlife Warden, Department of Forests, Gujarat. Esteemed speakers included Dr. Vibuprakash, a leading researcher in vulture conservation, Retired Deputy Director, Bombay Natural History Society, and Mr. Chris Bowden from the SAVE (Saving Asia's Vultures from Extinction) consortium. Various research Scholars across India presented their insights spanning across 26 topics. 🌿 Senior scientist, Dr. Abhijit Pawde (ICAR-IVRI), Veterinarians Dr. Percy Avari, Dr. Devojit Das, Dr. Shasikant Jadhav, and Prayag focused on the pressing issue of anti-inflammatory drugs in veterinary practices. 🌿 They expressed grave concerns regarding the Union government's delay in banning the drug Nimesulide, which has been proven harmful to vultures. Advocate Mr. Gaurav Bansal, who has been involved in a legal case on this matter for over 11 years, emphasised the influence of pharmaceutical companies in prolonging the court proceedings. 🌿 Mr. Ankit from Nepal shared updates on vulture conservation efforts in Nepal, while Dr. Suresh from the Wildlife Institute of India called for enhanced data collection efforts across India. 🌿 Bharathidasan S, Secretary of Arulagam, delivered a presentation titled "Engaging Stakeholders for Establishing Vulture Safe Zones in Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu." He elaborated on Arulagam's collaborative approach, which involves various stakeholders, including the Tamil Nadu government, pharmacists, veterinarians, tribal communities, and elected representatives. His strategies for community engagement were highlighted, emphasising the importance of cooperation in conservation efforts. 🌿 To reshape public perception of vultures, Bharathidasan creatively linked the species to significant cultural themes, such as "Mahatma Gandhi and the Vulture," "Clean India Movement and the Vulture," “Bharathiyar and the Vulture” "Women and the Vulture." I’m the Vulture, Speaking”, COVID-19 Pandemic and the Vulture, Earthworms and the Vulture”  His engaging presentation garnered the attention of the audience, effectively addressing the negative stereotypes often associated with these birds. 🌿 The conference concluded with a unanimous resolution:  1. Those NSAIDs already identified as vulture- toxin must be banned from the immediate effect.  2. Regulation of drugs must be on safety testing on vultures. 3. Promoting existing vulture safe drugs by ensuring their availability and distributing them at subsidised rates.  4. Identifying additional vulture safe drugs. Fondation Segré The Rufford Foundation Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund Trident Pneumatics Pvt Ltd. #vultures #arulagam #indianvultures #birdconservation #wildlifeconservation #communityconservation #vultureawareness #gujarat #nationalsymposium #symposium

Congrats to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia on winning the Herman Goldstein Award.   This international award is given for the best example of problem-oriented policing. It is recognizing work in Way Kambas National Park to lower the use of snares.   In 2020, Way Kambas National Park, in cooperation with WCS Indonesia, implemented a problem-oriented wildlife protection approach to identify and understand problems, implement appropriate responses, and determine effective actions.   “It has been an absolute pleasure to train and mentor the WCS-ID team since 2020 on the use of the problem-oriented approach and see one of LEAD’s partners take home this prestigious award. The collaborative work between WCS and the Ministry exemplifies how a proactive approach to a snaring problem, that benefits community members and wildlife alike, can achieve reductions rarely seen with reactive operations,” said Dr. Andrew Lemieux of LEAD Conservation.

For #internationalawarenessday we organised a multi-day Vulture Awareness Drive "Campaign on Wheels" covering 600 Km across Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Erode districts in Tamil Nadu to spread the message on Vultures and the need to protect them. 🌿 A Digital Display mounted on the vehicle played a video with a voice over message along with text in Tamil covering important information and insights about Indian Vultures, the threats they face and conservation measures. 🌿 Our dedicated team members were out in the field and distributed informative brochures, interacted with the public and school students and talked about the importance of overlooked Vulture species. Designer- Naga Harshietha D Fondation Segré Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund The Rufford Foundation Trident Pneumatics Pvt Ltd. EdelGive Foundation #vultureday #arulagam #indianvultures #birdconservation #wildlifeconservation #birdphotography #communityconservation #vultureawareness #birdsofprey #coimbatore #tamilnadu #vultureawareness #ivad #ivad24 #vultures

https://lnkd.in/djrJiaK7 It is hard to believe that a full year has already passed since I started as Deputy Director with the #OkapiConservationProject (OCP). The highlight of the last 12-months was returning to the Okapi Wildlife Reserve (OWR) and reconnecting with the team in Epulu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). During this time, one perennial question has played on my mind, “How can we raise awareness of a cryptic animal?” Camera traps placed by OCP’s ecological monitoring team prove that okapi are present in the Ituri Forest, especially in the Reserve, but these sightings are rare and fleeting. Placing these data against a backdrop of increasing human pressure, expansion of illegal activities including logging, mining for gold, coltan, and an increased demand for okapi skins, bones, and oil means that pressures are, sadly, increasing. Despite the undeniable charisma that okapi generate for those few people lucky enough to see one anywhere, these remarkable animals remain almost mythical to much of the world. Seeing one in the wild remains nigh on impossible. Harder yet is raising support for our activities in DRC where insecurity and logistics means that the costs of implementing OCP’s activities has increased exponentially. Yet, as the 2023 annual report (in English and French) illustrates, there is still considerable hope that we can conserve okapi and their habitat as an umbrella species for all the vast biodiversity in the Ituri region. OCP’s activities are more important now than at any time in its 37-year history. We sincerely appreciate any gift you can provide. Thank you for your continued support, John

ASAP is proud to partner with the Tropical Biology Association to offer a new training programme designed to support our partners with essential tools for designing impactful projects, measuring outcomes, and mastering fundraising strategies. This course spans 46 hours of learning, combining self-paced online modules with interactive Zoom sessions. Plus, participants will benefit from one-on-one coaching with from TBA and the ASAP Secretariat. We are offering fully funded spots for 15-18 participants from ASAP Partner organisations. As this is a competitive process, we encourage early applications. 🗓️ Application Deadline: September 20, 2024 For more information and to apply for the programme, please visit https://lnkd.in/dJPN8W3T #trainingopportunity #SEAconservation #fundraisingcourse

The survival of extinct in the wild species is entirely in our hands. Zoologist and filmmaker Billy Heaney, visited London Zoo recently to discover more about the Extinct in the Wild Alliance and how it's giving Partula snails a second chance, a life beyond extinction. One of our success stories so far is the work we've been doing with Partula snails, over 25,000 of which have now been successfully released back to their natural habitat with many more to follow. There's hope for this new beginning as the Extinct in the Wild Alliance develops. Here's how you can be a part of helping us to halt human-induced species extinction: zsl.org/extinctinthewild

Meet Aisya Ramadhani Alpian, our newest shark aquarist at our Misool Foundation nursery! 🦈 Follow her and our StAR Project interns Rial and Annisa as they don their dive gear and go about their daily feeding rounds of our sharks in Misool’s brand new sea pen! 🍽️ 😋 Video by Aisya Ramadhani Alpian #ReShark #StARProject #LeopardShark #ZebraShark #Ocean #Conservation #Shark #Rewilding #Indonesia