The Johannesburg Zoo remains dedicated to accommodating, enriching and conserving wildlife, that is why it is actively supporting the Reverse the Red movement to save critically endangered animal species. City Parks and Zoo senior environmental specialist and Reverse the Red champion Nathi Mvula says Reverse the Red is a global movement and brainchild of the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Its core mandate is to ignite strategic action and optimism to ensure the survival of species and ecosystems. Reverse the Red movement also aims to encourage collaborative action to guarantee the survival of all species that humans share this planet with, and the ecosystems they live in and to empower communities around the world to make this happen.
Being part of the movement allows the Joburg Zoo to create awareness, activate conversations and sessions, as well provide the opportunity for active change to redress or to reverse the negative trends that have affected biodiversity and the ecosystem in terms of the endangered species or the species that have been classified as critically endangered according to their status in the wild.
Mvula highlights that the Johannesburg Zoo has critically endangered species. However, it has been fortunate to run successful conservation projects that meet the requirements of Reversing the Red.
“This movement speaks directly to what the zoo embodies with some of our ongoing projects to conserve some of our own endangered wildlife. The zoo houses around 2000 animals of about 320 different species with a handful also being endangered,” he says.
The conservation projects of the zoo are meant to ensure the survival of certain species and the numbers in the wild. One of the well-known projects is the wattled crane project.
The wattled crane is a large, threatened species of crane found in the wetlands and grasslands of Kwa-Zulu Natal. This bird lays two eggs but can hatch one only. The zoo then brings the neglected egg in for incubation and is hand raised using a puppet that resembles a wattled crane mother bird.
“This project has had many successes, and we use the puppet because it helps when releasing the animal back into the wild and gives it a greater possibility for survival,” says Mvula.
He points out that some of the other endangered species of animals that call the zoo their home is the arabian oryx or white oryx, which is a medium-sized antelope with a distinct shoulder bump, long, straight horns, and a tufted tail. There are also wild dogs, the rhinos and pickers-gill reed frogs.
“The Reverse the Red movement wants to involve every facet of society that includes, politicians, communities, bureaucrats, government officials, NGOs and zoo patrons. For this reason, the zoo will now include slots and sessions for Reverse the Red at every event that takes place,” he says.
He adds that this will allow increased awareness and allow people to take the steps towards change and be the change they want to see so that future generations will have the chance to see endangered species.
“We as humans are the cause and we as humans can be the difference. Let’s work together to conserve our wildlife so that they make it off the red list and avoid extinction,” says Mvula.
Written by Sascha-Lee Joseph
14/02/2024
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