Charity behind Bristol Zoo Project pledge to save 97 endangered species

Charity behind Bristol Zoo Project pledge to save 97 endangered species

Posted on: 28 May 2024

The project’s conservation and education charity has this month pledged to conserve and protect dozens of species on the brink of extinction all over the world.

 

Visit the Bristol Zoo Project to find out more about the ‘Reverse the Red Species Pledge’ and the zoo’s ongoing development HERE.

 

 

 

 

The 97 species include birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians under threat as well as larger mammals including gorillas, giraffes and lemurs which all have the same thing in common – they’re under threat in the wild and need help.

 

The charity behind Bristol Zoo Project (which owns and runs the site) will champion six flagship species as part of this new pledge, aiming to shine a spotlight on lesser-known endangered species in particular.

 

Included in this list of animals are Critically Endangered blue-eyed lemurs, which the zoo are working to protect in Madagascar. A male and female pair, named Haja and Olanna, are also based at the Bristol Zoo Project as part of the European Ex-situ Programme (EEP), a conservation breeding programme.

 

Some of the species the pledge focuses on are the Critically Endangered turquoise dwarf gecko which is found in the Kimboza Forest Reserve in Tanzania and the Critically Endangered Negros Bleeding Heart Dove – a species the charity has worked with local partners in the Philippines to reintroduce on the island of Negros.

 

Other endangered animals included in the pledge include The Ankarafa skeleton frog, an amphibian native to Madagascar; the Corfu toothcarp. A freshwater fish native to Greece; and white-clawed crayfish, an Endangered species native to the UK with a hatchery in Bristol.

The ‘Species Pledge to Reverse the Red’ is part of a global coalition of organisations around the world, focused on the survival of wild species and ecosystems. A new fundraising appeal, Fighting Extinction, has also been launched alongside the pledge.

 

The pledge comes at a pivotal time for the charity, as they create a new conservation zoo at Bristol Zoo Project. The first phase is due to begin and will see the creation of a new Central African Forest habitat. Find out more from the zoo’s website.

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Article by:

Stanley Gray

Stan is a born and bred Bristolian, recently graduated from studying English Literature in Sheffield. His passions are music and literature and he spends the majority of his time in venues all over the city, immersing himself in Bristol’s alternative music scene. A lifelong Bristol City fan, Stan’s Saturdays are spent watching his team both home and away.