The Sloth

One of the
main characters
of the book

Dr Jane Goodall began her research in 1960 on the chimpanzees in Gombe, Tanzania and that work continues to this day, being the longest uninterrupted study on one animal in the world. Through her ground-breaking research, man was redefined, as up until then only man could make and use tools. Dr Goodall was the first to see a chimpanzee strip the leaves of a branch and use this primitive tool to ‘fish’ for termites. She was also the first to observe primitive warfare between different groups of chimpanzees fighting over the same land for food. Jane entered the forests of Gombe as a keen observer, became a scientist and then left her forest home to become an advocate for the chimpanzee, as she realised that if she did not raise awareness globally, chimpanzees would certainly become extinct, in her lifetime. She started the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977 primarily to continue her research in Gombe and to conserve the species. In the 80’s she revolutionised conservation by commencing the community-based conservation programs, TACARE which looks at problems and the solutions in a totally holistic way. Primarily looking at the needs of the communities, the people that live close to chimpanzees and working their needs first. These include education, health and family planning, water sanitation, land use planning and forestry. By solving the communities’ needs, they become conservation champions for the chimpanzee and all the wildlife that shares their forest. Giving people, animals, and their forest hope for their continued future. Dr Goodall also launched a youth led environmental program called Roots & Shoots. This program also started in Tanzania, February 1991 and has been active in over 100 countries with youth undertaking projects on Animals, People and the Environment. If you would like to know more about this program have a look at www.rootsandshoots.global Some of the NGO’s working to save chimpanzees The Jane Goodall Institute – found in over 30 countries and working in eight countries in Africa and running two chimpanzee sanctuaries. www.janegoodall.global | WWF | WCS | PASA | Taronga Conservation Society | Lincoln Park Zoo | Lwiro | Greater Mahale Chimpanzee | Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue Project | Ngamba Island chimpanzee sanctuary.

What you can do to help Share this information with family and friends and support, volunteer or donate to organisations helping chimpanzees. Visit chimpanzees in the wild in Africa and share that experience with all your friends. Avoid visiting places that use chimpanzees and any other wildlife for entertainment. Never buy bushmeat and always buy sustainable palm oil.

Realising the species’ rarity, a captive breeding programme was commenced in 1984, by the Recovery Plan group, and more than 300 individuals are now held in seven different breeding centres in Australia and Tasmania. Captive birds are instrumental in the conservation effort. For example, as the population is severely male biased (six males per one female), females are released in spring at the breeding site to correct the sex ratio imbalance. Captive-bred birds that have been released have also migrated successfully between their breeding and wintering grounds and back again. Birds released on the wintering grounds have also migrated south to breed. However, survival is poor and many released birds are caught again before migration. Some are also released at wintering sites where they have been joined by birds that have flown there. The extraordinary effort being made to conserve the orange bellied parrots has undoubtedly prevented its extinction, despite enormous challenges presented by the remoteness of its breeding site and the perils inherent in its migratory behaviour. Some organisations helping this species The Australian, Tasmanian, Victorian and South Australian governments and their relevant National Parks | BirdLife Australia | Australian National University | Charles Sturt University | Zoo’s and Aquarium Association.

What you can do to help Contact BirdLife Australia and International, to learn more about the world’s birds. Contact the Tasmanian, Victorian and South Australian governments, national parks and regional and local councils, who are also involved.

On January 17, 2018, Smithsonian researchers released approximately 500 frogs at Cobre Panama concession site in Panama’s Colon province as a first step toward a potential full-scale reintroduction of this species. This reintroduction is included in Cobre Panama’s biodiversity conservation plan as an important part of their environmental commitment. In order to monitor the released frogs over time, 30 frogs wore miniature radio transmitters. The scientific team also gave each frog an elastomer toe marking that glows under UV light to identify each individual as part of a population monitoring study. “Before we reintroduce frogs into remote areas, we need to learn how they fare in the wild and what we need to do to increase their chances of survival in places where we can monitor them closely” said Brian Gratwicke, International coordinator of the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project (PARC) at the Smithsonian Biology Institute. Reintroductions may or may not succeed but the lessons learnt will help to understand the challenges faced by a frog as it transitions from captivity into the wild. PARC brought a number of individuals into the breeding centre between 2013 and 2016 as the fungus continued to impact wild populations. PARC hopes to secure the future of this frog by reintroducing animals bred in captivity according to an action plan developed with Panama’s Ministry of the Environment and the IUCN and other stakeholders. Some organisations helping this species IUCN Specialist Frog group | Cheyenne Zoo | Houston Zoo | ZOO New England The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution | The Tiger Wood Fund The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute | National Geographic Society The Tiger Wood Fund | Mohammed bin Zayed Species Conservation fund.

What you can do to help

If this story really interested you, find out more from any of the organisations that are helping this frog and get involved. Make contact with the Amphibian Survival Alliance www.amphibians.org and Amphibian Ark www.amphibianark.org