Staff at Chester Zoo are celebrating a prestigous award gained for their work in helping save a rare bird from extinction.
The "fody" - a colourful bird found only on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius - is among the most endangered species in the world, with only a few hundred left in the wild.
Chester Zoo, together with the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, are winners of the Field Conservation Award from the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) for their work in preserving the fody.
Knowsley Hall at Prescot, Merseyside - in the centre of the famous Knowsley Safari Park - was selected as a fitting venue for the 2009 BIAZA Awards ceremony.
The awards recognise excellence in contributions to wildlife conservation, animal welfare, zoo veterinary medicine, animal husbandry, and landscaping and gardening skills along with increasing public understanding, awareness and engagement with zoos.
The BIAZA judges praised Chester and Durrell for their years of work, including captive breeding and release, that has resulted in the threatened status of the "fody" being downgraded from Critically Endangered to Endangered.
Dr Roger Wilkinson; Head of Field Programmes & Research at Chester Zoo said: "We were delighted to receive this award recognizing the important contribution made by Chester Zoo and our partners at Durrell in furthering conservation on Mauritius.
"The skills of our staff working in Mauritius have been critical to the success of the recovery programme for this unique and threatened bird.
"This success has resulted in the numbers in the wild to increase and the Mauritius Fody to be down-listed on the IUCN Red List from Critical to Endangered.
"Chester Zoo is committed to continue its work with the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation to save other critically endangered plants and animals."
Miranda Stevenson, Director of BIAZA, said: "The award-winning programmes under the spotlight demonstrate the huge investment of energy and resources made by our leading zoos to support habitat and species conservation.
"Conservation within zoos and aquariums is a vital part of the work to protect threatened species and to help change public behaviour and ensure the future of Planet Earth.
"These awards recognise and celebrate the vital contributions that our members are making to conservation and education each year. Equally, they are standard bearers for excellence in animal husbandry and welfare.”
The full list of award recipients follows:-
* Significant advances in husbandry and welfare
Award: ZSL London Zoo and Chester Zoo: TorTool – the RAWG tortoise husbandry guideline generator – a new way of developing and distributing guidance on best practice
* Best Field Conservation Project
Award: Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and Chester Zoo: Conservation of the Mauritius fody Foudia rubra – conservation success story over 15 years resulting in downlisting from Critically Endangered to Endangered
* Best Research Project
Award: Paignton Zoo Environmental Park (Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust): Male – male social interactions in breeder and bachelor groups of gorillas Gorilla gorilla: an indication of behavioural flexibility - multi-institutional study of social behaviour in gorilla groups
Small Collection Award Hawk Conservancy Trust: Survivorship of rehabilitated juvenile tawny owls Strix aluco – showing that hard release of tawny owls is just as effective as soft
* Best New Zoo Enclosure
Award: Twycross Zoo: Mary Brancker Waterways and Borneo Longhouse – innovative wetland exhibit
* Significant Advances in Zoo and Wildlife Medicine
Award: ZSL London Zoo: Evaluation of the protein cardiac troponin I, using a commercially-available hand-held clinical analyser, to diagnose and treat cardiac disease in zoo species – checking the cardiac health of zoo animals
* Best PR Project
Award: Bristol Zoo Gardens: Raising the profile of western lowland gorillas at home and abroad –promoting the arrival of new gorillas
Small Collection Award: Hawk Conservancy Trust: Honey buzzard rehabilitation and release – promoting the successful release of a rare bird
* Best Marketing Project
Award: Twycross Zoo: Bring out the animal in you! – child-focused marking campaign relating animals to children
Small Collection Award: Shepreth Wildlife Park: Tiger Day – fundraising for tigers and promoting conservation
* Best Education Project: schools and educational institutions
Awards:
• ZSL London Zoo: Darwin’s Zoo: evaluating an education session developed for Darwin’s Bicentenary – evaluation of success of a schools programme about Darwin
• Chester Zoo: Learning with Nature: taking students back 400 years to a pristine Mauritius – conservation education for schools in Mauritius
Small Collection Award: Curraghs Wildlife Park: Colour-Me-Wild: a day of fun and learning for reception classes – introducing animals to young children
* Best Education Project: public and general visitor
Award: Newquay Zoo: Be a Junior Keeper – experience days for 8 to 14 year olds – hands-on learning experiences with animals
* Best Sustainable Zoo and Aquarium
Award: Twycross Zoo: Significantly reducing Twycross Zoo’s contribution to landfill – recycling over one thousand tons of waste
* Best use of plants in a landscape feature / display
Award: Bristol Zoo Gardens: The edible garden – food for animals in the zoo!
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