The Elusive Mountain Spirit of the Omei Mountains
Author: Chris Green (Cotswold Wildlife Park, Oxfordshire, UK) The Emei Shan Liocichla (Liocichla omeiensis) also known as Mt. Omei Babblers are one of five, restricted range, species in the genus which are among the smaller members of the Laughingthrush family. This species is internationally protected in CITES Appendix II and also locally fully protected in […]
What if saving Songbirds started in Schools?
Author: Simon Bruslund (Heidelberg Zoo, Heidelberg, Germany) When going home to Denmark for Christmas, my 7-year-old nephew begged me to visit his class and talk about Animals. Soon his older brother (12) and sister (10) did too. As the date came closer, I started to get nervous. Is talking to kids the same as presenting […]
Silent Forest presentation for yearcard holders
Author: Constanze Mager (Burgers’ Zoo, Arnhem, The Netherlands) Imagine a lecture hall full of people eager to learn more about the Asian songbird crises and the EAZA conservation campaign… the dream of every campaigner, the dream of every educator. On the evening of 17th of January 2018, this dream came true in Royal Burgers’ Zoo, […]
Another sad day for the Southeast Asian Songbirds
Three smugglers were arrested on Tuesday the 16th of January 2018 in Melaka, Malaysia, by the Malaysia’s Maritime Enforcement Agency. Unfortunately, the authorities intercepted the fleeing boat after the men had thrown overboard 300 birds. Only three of them could be saved from drowning. According to a press statement, the birds were likely smuggled over […]
Spreading the Word
Author: Constanze Mager (Burgers’ Zoo, Arnhem, The Netherlands) Campaign wise, the last few weeks can be characterized as the crucial weeks to get zoos on board on national level. My lecture about the campaign during the Dutch zoo employee meeting (150 attendees, mostly zoo keepers) was rather successful. Of course, often the keepers are not […]
Asian songbirds for children and adults
Author: Constanze Mager (Burgers’ Zoo, Arnhem, The Netherlands) The Silent Forest Campaign has been launched six weeks ago. It’s good to see how the really quick zoos registered within a few days! Wow! By now, almost 60 zoos registered as participants. Also great that quite a lot of zoos indeed pledge to raise money for […]
Asian songbird trade crisis specialist group formed to tackle conservation threats
Threatened songbirds in the region will now have the voice of the first Asian Songbird Trade Specialist Group to join the chorus against the illegal and unsustainable cage bird trade. Formally recognised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC) in May 2017, the Asian Songbird Trade Specialist Group (ASTSG) […]
European zoos and NGOs launch two-year campaign to save songbirds from extinction
The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, together with TRAFFIC, BirdLife International and the IUCN Asian Songbird Trade Specialist Group, today launched a joint campaign in a collaborative effort to save iconic Asian songbird species from extinction. The Silent Forest campaign will raise awareness of the devastating effects of the trade in songbirds across Southeast […]
Meet ‘Esa’, the lonely one
15 September, written by Anais Tritto The Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush used to be very common in the past in high Javan mountains and observed making large flocks and vocalizing with their typical “horse” songs (the Indonesian name for the Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush is Poksai kuda which means the “Horse Laughingthrush”). Esa (“the only one” in Indonesian) is […]
Annual conference in Wildlands: here I come!
Author: Constanze Mager (Burgers’ Zoo, Arnhem, The Netherlands) The EAZA Annual Conference, THE EAZA meeting of the year, the place to meet and network with 600+ relevant staff of EAZA Zoos! Also, traditionally the time and location to close one EAZA conservation campaign and launch the next one. So, this conference is a crucial moment […]