Brevard Zoo's Mission:
"Wildlife Conservation Through Education and Participation" ...it's more than a slogan at Brevard Zoo!
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Our keepers with puppets from environmental education suitcase they purchased for Congo Project.
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We actively support in Brevard County the following programs: sea turtle research, manatee rescues, the Monofilament Recycling Program, the Right Whale volunteer network, and education programs. Around the world, the Zoo supports chimpanzee research in Congo, an education center in Kenya, and the development of education materials for projects in Dominica, Peru, Zimbabwe, Namibia, the Republic of Congo, and MORE. |
Upcoming Events:
Conservation Evenings
Jack Hanna
Jack Hanna, best known for his television show (Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures) and appearances on programs such as Good Morning America and the David Letterman Show, has been director and then Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo for more than 30 years. What most people don’t know is that Jack Hanna has been a pioneer in the zoo world through his commitment to promoting the Columbus Zoo’s support of field conservation and research for the last 20 years. Jack’s conservation commitment created a conservation ethic that has resulted in over $3.8 million dollars being allocated in just the last five years alone through the Columbus Zoo Conservation Fund (CZCF). Field projects that have received grants from the CZCF have involved species as diverse as gorilla, chimpanzee, snow leopard, manatee, elephant, rhino, drill, tiger, Bongo antelope, as well as support for numerous education programs around the globe concerning animal habitat preservation..
Date: Friday, November 20
Lecture Time: 7 to 8 p.m.
Where: Nyami Nyami River Lodge
Cost: $25 per person
Meet & Greet with Jack prior to the talk at a cost of $50 per person.
All proceeds raised will be used to support Brevard Zoo’s field conservation projects.
Ian Nichols Lecture
Ian Chase Nichols is an emerging figure in the field of photography. Comfortable behind the camera, Ian first began work in Gabon in 2003 with his father Nick, who was in Gabon on a seven-month assignment for National Geographic Magazine (NGM). While there, Ian volunteered as a photographer for the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Whale Team. Photographing under difficult conditions proved challenging but successful as he developed a body of work as well as an aesthetic vision.
Upon graduation from the University of Virginia in 2005, Ian applied for a grant to photograph "naive chimps" at the Goualougo research site in Congo where he spent two years photographing undocumented "tool use.” These two years produced a story on Lowland Gorillas for National Geographic Magazine in January 2008 and an upcoming article on tool use and chimpanzees (to be published in NGM, December 2009). Ian was also part of the Bioko Expedition in the August 2008 issue of NGM. Patient and sensitive to the nuances of primate behavior, Ian has captured rare glimpses into man's closest relative. His intention is to capture authentic moments that inspire awareness in others and foster positive change in our world.
Date: Thursday December 10
Lecture Time: 7 to 8 p.m.
Where: Nyami Nyami River Lodge
Cost: $8 per person
Raffle item will be available for extra cost: Framed photo from Ian Nichols – signed/dated
All proceeds raised will be used to support the Goualougo Triangle Ape Project (GTAP)
in the Republic of Congo.
2008 Conservation Highlights:
Funds spent 2001 through 2008: $274,761
Total funds spent in 2008: $47,268
Number of field projects supported in 2008: 19
International projects supported since 2001:
Africa: $137,334
Asia: $7,340
Latin America: $38,140
Local projects supported since 2001: $72,570
Butterfly Monitoring Program, Florida Wildlife Hospital, Monofilament Recycling Program, Mammal Stranding Network, Manatee Research,
Oyster Restoration Project, Right whale monitoring, Scrub jay research, and Sea Turtle Research
Miscellaneous: $19,377
Grants and Fundraisers received:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services--$21,000 to purchase soccer uniforms for PASA sanctuaries
Suntree Rotary Club and Stuart Interact Club--$2000 grant to create mini-suitcases and purchase soccer uniforms
Earth Friendly Transportation Expo--Raised $5,800 to support local projects
Conservation Dinner--Raised money to give a $3,100 grant to guest speaker Anne Savage, who runs Proteyto Titi (Cottontop Tamarin) in Colombia
Recommended Conservation Reading
Gorilla in the Mist – Dian Fossey
Shadows of Man – Jane Goodall
Visions of Caliban – Jane Goodall
Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds –Joy Adamson
Cry of the Kalahari – Mark & Delia Owens
Babylon’s Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo – Anthony Lawrence
Gorilla in Our Midst: The Story of the Columbus Zoo Gorillas – Jeff Lyttle
Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice: An Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Amazon Rain Forest– Mark Plotkin
Children's Books:
The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest – Lynne Cherry
Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship – Craig Hatkoff
Gorilla Doctors: Saving Endangered Great Apes (Scientists in the Field) – Pamela Turner
