Climbing for Conservation

A group of conservationists from zoos across the UK and Ireland will be taking on Africa’s highest mountain to raise funds for the animals they care for.

The team, which includes staff from 7 British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquaria (BIAZA) member zoos, will be pushing themselves to the limit by climbing the treacherous Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to raise funds for a number of wildlife charities including Wildlife Vets International’s Healthy Hogs programme.

The group is also hoping to raise the profile of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria’s Pole to Pole campaign, an initiative to make more people aware of the effects of climate change on the polar caps and the wildlife living there and what they can do to make a difference.

Programmes and Policy Coordinator at the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), Nicky Needham, said: “It is great to see good zoos and aquariums joining forces to take on such a challenge and raise much needed funds for wildlife programmes around the world. It just shows how much can be achieved when we work together.

“BIAZA is also supporting EAZA’s Pole to Pole Campaign and we hope we can help promote the fact that by making small changes, collectively it can make a huge impact. We are asking everyone to unplug their mobile phone chargers once their phone is finished charging. Together we can help save a lot of energy and prevent growing pollution.”

To prepare for the ascent, the team have been in training for months to ensure that their fitness levels are high enough. Practice climbs have included Kinder Scout, Cadair Idris and Britain’s own tallest mountain, Snowdonia.

The team will be started their ascent on January 21 and are expected to take seven days in total.

The Team

John Pullen – Marwell Wildlife – Rhinos in Lewa Kenya

Sarah Forsyth – Colchester Zoo – Action For The Wild

Tracey Moore – Banham Zoo – AEECL, Lemur Conservation Association

Kim Simmons – Linton Zoo – The Lion Guardians

Alan Binning – Shepreth Wildlife Park – Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity

Rebecca Willers – Shepreth Wildlife Park – Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity

Cheryl Midgely – Shepreth Wildlife Park – Wildlife Vets International

Lesley Dickie – EAZA – Saola Working Group of the IUCN – Saola, the Asian Unicorn

Lynn Whitnall – Paradise Wildlife Park – Wildlife Heritage Foundation l

Andrew Hope – Belfast Zoo – François Langurs

Fiona Clewer – South Lakes – Humboldt Penguins

Healthy Hogs

WVI putting science into hedgehog rehabilitation.

In Phase One of this project, WVI aims to create a bank of tissue samples from hedgehogs that died or were euthanased for welfare reasons.

These samples will be used by partners such as Institute of Zoology to investigate the role that disease is playing in the demise of the European hedgehog in the UK.

WVI putting science into hedgehog rehabilitation

WVI aims to train staff at the Shepreth Hedgehog Hospital (SHH) in basic post mortems and how to correctly take, store and label samples that can be used for research.

This training will be filmed and a training video manual will be supplied to SHH and any other vet or hegdehog rescue and rehabilitation centre.

WVI is looking for £4,400 to start this project off.

You can help by donating: