Anthony Head Will Open Paignton Zoo's New Amphibian Conservation Centre
By Philip Knowling
Paignton, UK - Paignton Zoo’s new amphibian conservation centre will be officially opened on Wednesday 11th August.
The launch of the Amphibian Ark exhibit will be hosted by stage, film and TV actor and musician Anthony Head. Anthony is known for a wide range of work, appearing in the Gold Blend coffee commercials, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Little Britain and more recently Dr. Who and Merlin.
Invited guests will attend an opening ceremony at 11:30am, followed by guided tours of the new facility and a light lunch. The Ark will be open to visitors on the day from 12.30pm. There will be limited viewing of the ceremony for visitors on a first come, first served basis.
The first phase of the Amphibian Ark species rescue and reintroduction centre was completed last year. Now, phase two - with additional indoor exhibits and a large water garden containing seven ponds - has been finished. The project has cost £100,000 in total.
Amphibian Ark is currently home to 14 amphibian species, including the blue poison dart frog Dendrobates azureus, classed as Vulnerable, the phantasmal poison dart frog
Epipedobates tricolour, which is Endangered, and the Critically Endangered Anderson’s axolotl, Ambystoma andersoni. Staff have also been working with relatively common species to perfect husbandry routines and protocols before taking on endangered amphibians.
Mike Bungard, Curator of Lower Vertebrates and Invertebrates at Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, said: “I’m very pleased - the facilities are excellent. We have a large, flexible working space with on and off-show animal care areas, the capacity for high level bio-security and a state-of-the-art water treatment system. The water garden links the exotic amphibians indoors with the idea of domestic garden conservation.”
Out of 6,000 known amphibian species, 50% are threatened or endangered, compared to 10% of mammal species. Amphibians are affected by habitat loss, climate change, pollution, pesticides and the deadly chytrid fungus. Unstoppable and untreatable in the wild, the fungus can kill 80% of amphibians within months. The aim is to protect species from the fungus, possibly by taking animals from the wild and then reintroducing them when it is safe to do so.
It’s hoped that Amphibian Ark will inform and inspire visitors, breed rare species and become an internationally recognised training facility for herpetologists. Staff have launched two field conservation projects in the last year in Tanzania and Trinidad.
The water garden is part of Pond Conservation’s Million Ponds campaign. To find out more, go to www.pondconservation.org.uk. Paignton Zoo Environmental Park is a registered charity. For more information go to www.paigntonzoo.org.uk or ring (01803) 697500.
To view Paignton Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to: http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-783-Paignton_Zoo_Environmental_Park
SOURCE: www.zandavisitor.com
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