Protecting endangered animals

From City Scene, published on 20 January, 2008

Conservation counts: Auckland Zoo's Jackie Sanders and Peter Fraser with elephants Kashin and Burma.

Every day presents Auckland Zoo's conservation officer Peter Fraser and sponsorship and events coordinator Jackie Sanders with another opportunity to spread the wildlife conservation message.

Peter's passion for protecting endangered species and his experience as an orang-utan keeper has served him well as the only conservation officer employed by a zoo in New Zealand. The role signals a change in the zoo's direction from concentrating its conservation efforts solely on captive breeding programmes to a more comprehensive approach.

"The major goal of zoos has to be to integrate all aspects of their work with conservation activities and to actively live the values of social and environmental responsibility," Peter says. These values shape Peter's work administrating the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund to support local and international conservation projects, and raising awareness of the plight of endangered animals.

Peter monitors the wildlife projects supported by the conservation fund and works with organisations to protect the habitats of native species.

He also helps Jackie, who organises and runs various events including Boo at the Zoo, Christmas at the Zoo and the popular Wild Bean Cafe ZooMusic series currently under way.

Jackie says the events raise funds for conservation projects and are a great vehicle for the conservation message. "We want people to interact with the zoo through events and activities because it gains their attention and creates a discussion around conservation issues," she says.

During the summer months, a lot of Jackie's time is spent ensuring the ZooMusic concerts run smoothly, with the next few weeks likely to be busy as she juggles last minute confirmations, inquiries and logistics, as well as overseeing the concerts.

"There's a lot to organise because these are not regular concerts but events that mix music, animals and families and there's also the weather to contend with," she says.

Auckland Zoo is owned and operated by Auckland City Council. For more information about the zoo's conservation efforts and to book your tickets for the Wild Bean Cafe ZooMusic series, visit www.aucklandzoo.co.nz or phone 360 3805.