In the summer of 2018, we released black vultures in Bulgaria. It’s the first step in setting up new breeding colonies in a country where the last breeding bird was seen fifty years ago . Is this the beginning of a new Bulgarian population?
As pedigree record-keeper and leader of the European breeding program, we are okapi experts, as well as matchmakers. Who breeds with whom to maintain genetic diversity and help the species survive? Because in their homeland, the Congo, there are only 15,000 okapis left.
In Cameroon we are investigating how large-scale logging is threatening the survival of gorillas. As fruit eaters they are crucial for the distribution of seeds and renewal of the forest. The purpose: to have logging companies change the way they operate.
Our veterinary surgeon regularly supplies samples to researchers worldwide such as from our elephant calf Qiyo (2) who succumbed to elephant herpes. Attempts are ongoing globally to develop a vaccine to inoculate young elephants in the future.