North America


1. The Mexican state of Sonora is likely the source of jaguars entering the United States.  Since 1999 Dr. Carlos Lopez-Gonzalez and colleagues began monitoring this most northern population of jaguars.  This project supports these by surveying three additional sites to determine the abundance of jaguars in this region.
2. The Great Lakes piping plover recovery program was created to increase the population of the sparrow-size, shore birds in the Great Lakes region. The piping plovers dwindled to 12 breeding pairs in 1983.  Various zookeepers, including Jennifer Nixon and Andrew Fair of Denver Zoo, have traveled to northern Michigan for egg salvage and captive-rearing programs. The breeding program includes incubating abandoned eggs and rearing captive chicks for release into the wild.
3. Denver Zoo partnered with the Center for Native Ecosystems on Witness for Wildlife, a pilot program designed to engage the public in landscape connectivity and wildlife corridor issues. Denver Zoo’s Amy Masching is participating in the program with Paige Bonaker (CNE). Freedom to Roam oversees Witness for Wildlife with plans to launch the program on a large scale this year. Volunteers in Colorado will continue to get opportunities to participate in Witness for Wildlife.
4. The Citizen Science Pika Monitoring Program involves volunteers who research along Colorado’s Front Range for the small mammals. Related to the rabbit and about the size of a large hamster, American pikas are susceptible to climate change. Amy Masching of Denver Zoo is taking part in the program with Megan Mueller (Center for Native Ecosystems), Chris Ray and Liesl Peterson Erb (both of University of Colorado) studying the pikas who live mainly in the western United States.
5. Ecology and social behavior of white-tailed prairie dogs by Dr. John Hoogland (University of Maryland). Hoogland has been studying the ecology and social behavior of prairie dogs under natural conditions the past 36 years. Through long-term research with marked individuals, he is investigating multiple mating by females, incest, killing of potential offspring by males and alarm calling. Results have led to a better understanding of several pivotal issues in behavioral ecology and population biology. Some of these issues include competition, infanticide and inbreeding.
6. Grassland Birds and the Ecological Recovery of Bison by Dr. Kevin Ellison and Dr. Steve Zack (Wildlife Conservation Society). Worldwide, grasslands and the wildlife they harbor are greatly imperiled. In North America, many species of wildlife, particularly birds, evolved in extensive grasslands replete with tens of millions of grazing bison, elk and prairie dogs. The project monitors the ecological impacts associated with bison to ensure that where possible, bison activity will maximize benefits for grassland bird and other wildlife
7. Denver Zoo’s Britney Hufford and Chris Brown of Dallas Zoo aided in the Caribbean Flamingo Wildlife Research Expedition in El Cuyo, Mexico to research Caribbean flamingos’ primary nesting area. The study on the northeast shore of the Yucatan Peninsula within Reserva de la Biosfera Ria Lagartos included gathering basic biological information -- migration routes, nutrition, and parental care. The basic ecological data gathered will help with conservation planning for the flamingos. The expedition also does education/outreach work at an annual Flamingo Festival.
8. A health assessment of the Mexican Mantled Howler Monkey tried to determine the resources that promote or threaten its existence. Because of deforestation programs, mantled howling monkeys have been on the decline and forced into isolation. The monkey has a natural distribution range from southeast Mexico to southern Guatemala. Dr. Dave Kenny of Denver Zoo and Ivonne Cassaigne (Animal Health Services-Mexico City) are helping capture and evaluate howler monkeys for bot fly larva.  Health evaluation of wildlife is an important tool to assess the adaptation of populations to their habitat and determine the threats to their existence.
9. Dr. Dave Kenny of Denver Zoo and Dr. Ole Alcumbrac (Wildlife Health Services-Arizona) lead a team relocating bighorn sheep or Sonoran pronghorn from the Morenci copper mine in eastern Arizona to a refuge in southwestern Arizona. Several years of drought dropped the U.S. population to 21 animals in 2002.  The wild population has rebounded to about 100 animals. Another 650 live in Mexico.  U.S. Fish & Wildlife started a captive breeding effort at the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge near Ajo in southwestern Arizona to raise additional animals for release back into the wild. 
   
   
 Latin and South America


10. A project by Carlos Zorrilla of Defensa y Conservacion Ecoligiat de Intag (DECOIN) hopes to create biodiversity conservation in northwest Ecuador through the creation of community forest reserves. The Intag area of Ecuador, situated on the slopes of the western Andes, is one of only 25 of these biologically diverse and threatened areas on the planet. DECOIN’s goal is to protect the area’s species and provide local rural communities with safe drinking water. The project works with communities interested in protecting their drinking water and forests by providing a framework for conservation and community involvement.
11. Tom Weaver and Rick Haeffner of Denver Zoo helped create Project Golden Frog, in response to the declines and disappearances of the amphibian from Costa Rica and Panama. The simple goal of many concerned biologists who formed PGF is to ensure the survival of one of the most well known, culturally significant, and charismatic amphibians in the world.
12. In 2009, Denver Zoo’s Matt Herbert and Meghan Rubinstein traveled to Lima to meet with Peru officials – including Doris Rodriguez of Parque Zoologico Huachipa  –  to create a public awareness campaign about illegal consumption of Lake Titicaca frogs. Working with Peruvians, workshops helped determine the status of these species and improved collaboration among many key stakeholders in the fight against amphibian extinction.
13.  In a separate conservation effort, Rick Haeffner and Tom Weaver of Denver Zoo are working on a project to monitor and support a captive breeding program for the Lake Titicaca frog. Haeffner and Weaver are seeking to acquire import and export permits for frogs coming to Denver Zoo. They submitted a proposal to the Peruvian government for a captive reproduction and management program for the frog which includes a biological and population study and a national education campaign.
14. Dr. Bill Swanson (Cincinnati Zoo), Nanette Bragin (Denver Zoo), and The Brazilian Ocelot Consortium are working on increasing connectivity for Brazilian ocelots by restoring habitat and creating migration corridors.
    
    
Eur-Asia  


15. Elephant surveys and training are designed to develop a “holistic elephant plan” for west Malaysia.  The project in Taman Negara National Park, headed by Dr. Melvin Gumal of Wildlife Conservation Society, continues to conduct human-elephant conflict monitoring, test crop protection and train staff in human-elephant conflict survey, mitigation and management methods, as well data analysis and reporting skills. 
16. A project on the grassland ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau hopes to create better understanding rangeland degradation. It also is measuring species-specific vegetation responses to livestock grazing, yearly weather fluctuations and pika densities on winter allotments of Tibetan pastoralists
17. Drs. Richard Reading and David Kenny of Denver Zoo are among the many researchers studying the ecology and conservation of argali sheep, the largest mountain sheep in the world. Researchers have radio-collared 115 argali in Mongolia since 2000. Behavioral observations, genetic analyses, collection of biological samples, necropsies of animals that died, and fecal analyses also are being conducted. Collars help analyze identify the argali’s home ranges.
18. Dr. Richard Reading of Denver Zoo led a team, including Dr. David Kenny of the Zoo, that is studying resource partitioning among argali sheep and Siberian ibex in Dornogobi Aimag, Mongolia.
19. Three Denver Zoo colleagues -- Dr. Richard Reading, Dr. Dave Kenny and Mary Jo Willis – Sukhiin Amgalanbaatar of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences in research of breeding success of cinereous vultures in Ikh Nart, Mongolia. The largest old-world vultures are declining globally. The study hopes to determine breeding success rates, compare nests constructed on trees with those built on rocky outcrops, gather data on chick development and to assess factors influencing nesting success.
20. The population dynamics of small mammals in the semi-desert steppes of Mongolia by Surri Buyana and Dr. Richard Reading (Denver Zoo). In 2004, Denver Zoo began exploring the biology and ecology of several little-studied and poorly-understood small carnivores in Mongolia, including corsac foxes, Pallas’ cats, red foxes and Gobi badgers. The study seeks to explore resource partitioning among small carnivores, especially the dietary differences given the diversity of small mammal prey species (mice, voles, jerboas, gerbils, hamsters, picas, etc.) in using radio telemetry, fecal analyses and prey population dynamics. The project also aims to examine the adequacy of Ikh Nart to protect small carnivores.
21. Denver Zoo’s Dr. Richard Reading and Meghan Rubinstein joined Orgiltuya (University of Colorado-Denver) and Amgalanbaatar (Mongolian Academy of Sciences in a case study of Ikh Nart Nature Reserve in Mongolia. The reserve is home to numerous endangered species, including hedgehogs, argali sheep, ibex, cinereous vultures, Pallas’ cats, corsac fox, lesser kestrels, Daurian partridges and Gobi lynx. The goal is to develop a comprehensive, interdisciplinary management program for the reserve to conserve the protected area and its natural resources in a sustainable manner.
22. Denver Zoo’s Drs. Richard Reading  and Dave Kenny  are researching the Daurian hedgehog and the long-eared hedgehog that inhabit Ikh Nart Nature Reserve in Mongolia. The goal is to learn how these two similar insectivores co-exist in Ikh Nart Nature Reserve without competing over resources. Data is being collected on their habitat use, prey species, and movement patterns.
23. In central Asia, Denver Zoo Drs. Richard Reading and Dave Kenny started their research of Siberian ibex as an outgrowth of the argali sheep project. The ibex project seeks to better understand how these two mountain ungulates co-exist. Since 2003, researchers have captured and radio collared 24 adult ibex and three kids, but the  majority of these animals were captured in the past 18 months. In addition to tracking these animals with radio collars, researchers also made behavioral observations, collected fecal and tissue samples, and completed necropsies of animals that died.
24. The Nomadic Nature Trunk Program began in 2008 on the Eastern Steppe of Mongolia, as a component of Wildlife Conservation Society’s Living Landscapes program. The program’s three trunks include activities and materials focused on biodiversity and conservation concerns. These trunks travel around the countryside delivering much-needed environmental education and new teaching methodology to schools and community groups. Lessons raise awareness, promote student involvement through hands-on experiences and provide opportunities for conservation action. The trunks have expanded to a Gobi-steppe eco-region, Dornogobi aimag, and plans to become a national program in Mongolia. This program is a partnership between Denver Zoo, Conservation Ink, and People Centered Conservation.
25. The Orangutan Conservation Initiative in Borneo hopes to build a conservation partnership with orangutan conservation centers of Borneo, specifically Samboja Lestari and Nyaru Menteng. Ronda Schwetz of Denver Zoo is helping the partnership focus on  Bornean orangutan conservation, specifically on developing enrichment protocols for animals held at the rehabilitation center. The goal is to improve the care of captive orangutans. By developing enrichment devices that stimulate typical orangutan behaviors, quality of life and survival rates for animals reintroduced into the wild improve.  
26. Marley Steele-Inama and Rachel Anderson  of Denver Zoo are working on Orangutan Conservation Education in Borneo. Steele-Inama traveled to Borneo in 2009 to extend a partnership with rehabilitation centers and nearby schools for keeper exchanges, conservation education, facility maintenance and development.
27. Russia is under an increasing threat from logging and fishing. A study by Jonathan Slaght (University of Minnesota, Ph.D. student), Sergei Surmach (Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Biology and Soils) and Dale Miquelle (Wildlife Conservation Society Russian Program) on Blakiston’s fish owl in Primorye, Russia tracks the little-known species ecology using GPS transmitters to locate data for critical habitat analyses, thus developing an effective conservation plan.
28. Amy Levine (Denver Zoo) and Herbert Covert (University of Colorado-Boulder) are evaluating human conservation behavior and Tonkin snub-nosed monkey (CR-IUCN) population status in northern Vietnam. As few as 150 Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys remain in the world.  Conservation education might mitigate human behaviors that threaten endangered species. Researchers have yet to show strong direct links between education efforts and changes in animal populations or habitats.  This project assesses the effectiveness of conservation education projects on both humans and non-human primate populations in Vietnam. 
29. The Siberian marmot one of the most endangered mammals in northern Asia due to poaching for fur and meat.  The marmots decline in Mongolia is serious and the animal is thought to be a “keystone species.”  This project will examine patterns of marmot distribution in Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, specifically quantifying marmot distribution, identifying environmental factors that influence distribution and using results to predict distribution elsewhere. 
30. A study of Pallas’ coluber snakes ecology in Ikh Nart Nature Reserve seeks to increase awareness and knowledge of reptile ecology in Dornogobi Aimag Mongolia. The project by Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald (Alameda East Veterinary Hospital and Denver Zoo Board Member), Denver Zoo’s Bryon Shipley, Vern Veer, Dr. Dave Kenny and Dr. Richard Reading identifies potential threat sources that could lead to declines of the snake. If the reserve is meeting the snake’s ecological needs, the group will seek steps to accomplish these needs.
31. Cinereous vultures in Mongolia by Purensuren Tsolmonjav (graduate student in Mongolia) supervised by Dr. Richard Reading (Denver Zoo). Tsolmonjav has been working with Denver Zoo since 2006 on researching cinereous vultures in Ikh Nart, Mongolia. He completed his undergraduate degree in 2009 and wishes to pursue a master’s degree at the University of Denver. 
    
    
 Africa


32. In northern Botswana, one of the largest free ranging populations of African wild dogs remains. Small protected areas are broken up by newly established game farms and cattle grazing areas. This fragmented habitat makes survival even more difficult for this highly-endangered species. This study by Megan Parker of the University of Montana looked at the behavior surrounding scent marking of African wild dogs in this region. This research revealed the highly territorial nature of the animals and that African wild dogs appeared to respect territorial boundaries based upon scent marks left behind by other dogs. By studying the chemical makeup of territorial markings, “invisible” yet effective boundaries for wild dogs in Africa could be established.  This non-invasive method would keep wild dogs from areas of conflict with humans and their livestock, acting as a mitigation measure to address the concerns of local people.
33. This project on disease threats to endangered African wild dogs in Kenya began in 2001. Dr. Rosie Woodroffe of Zoological Society of London sought  to foster a sustainable coexistence of endangered African wild dogs with people, livestock and domestic dogs. The project has developed effective tools for reducing human-dog conflicts and developed tourist viewing guidelines. The project is in the final stages of developing sustainable tools to manage disease threats to free-ranging wild dogs. 
34. A significant population of brown hyenas inhabits the Makgadikgaki region of Botswana. The study led by Glyn Maude (University of Bristol) and Dr. Richard Reading (Denver Zoo) conducts research on the genetic clues from brown hyena scent marks. The hyena can deposit two distinct substances onto a grass stalk called scent marks. The purposes of this mark are believed to be territorial defense and communication within a hyena clan. Research and samples of these scent marks have been collected and tested for DNA analysis. Through GPS and tracking collars, behavioral observations and mapping of ranging habits and territories have been recorded.
35. This project by Glyn Maude (University of Bristol) and Kevin McFarlane (Australia National University) examines and compares the spatial and resource requirements of lion populations within the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and Makgadikgadi. It questions how lions can be managed to reduce human/wildlife conflict and whether they should move regional protected areas, such as the CKGR, Kalahari Transfrontier Park and Makgadikgadi National Park. 
36. This study of the Laikipia Grevy’s zebras by Dr. Siva Sundaresan and Dr. Richard Reading (Denver Zoo) and Dr. Dan Rubenstein (Princeton University) tracks the animal’s movements in relation to lions and livestock. Lions are Grevy’s zebra’s key predator while livestock compete with them for food and water. Tracking zebra movements better identifies the habitat preferences and their movement strategies to avoid lion predation or livestock competition.
37. This collaborative project by Denver Zoo researcher Dr. Siva Sundaresan with the Laikipia Predator Project seeks to understand how the movements of wild and domestic prey influence the movements of lions. Land use in Laikipia is mosaic of pro-wildlife private ranches and livestock dense communal areas. This study unravels what determines predator behavior and its effects on endangered prey such as Grevy's zebra.
38. Denver Zoo’s Hospital Director Dr. Felicia Knightly travels to Madagascar as part of a larger project to collect biomedical information and assess health and disease in free-ranging lemur populations.  This ongoing project by Knightly and Dr. Randall Junge of St. Louis Zoo evaluates the health of several free-ranging lemur species.
39. Undergraduate conservation scholarship recipient: Masiaine “Symon” Oleranah, Moi University, Kenya; Sponsor: Dr. Rosie Woodroffe (University of California-Davis)
40. Throughout Africa, lions and other large carnivores are disappearing because people kill them to protect livestock.  This project uses an annual population assessment exercise in Laikipia, Kenya, by traditional trackers to obtain data from spoor (footprints) on roads.  After 12 years of intensive research, Living with Lions has excellent data on populations of lions, allowing calibration of spoor counts. Elsewhere in human-and-cattle-dominated landscapes of eastern Africa, lions and spotted hyenas are in steep decline, killed because they eat the livestock people depend on for food, income and social status.  Yet, data about actual population trends are usually lacking due to the expense and logistical limitations in counting elusive carnivores.
41. The Grevy’s zebra conservation education project in Kenya (Denver Zoo’s Amy Masching and Jen Bahmeier) complements the Laikipia Grevy’s zebra project to build local capacity and to create future conservation leaders. The program works with numerous partners in the Laikipia District of northern Kenya to help fulfill currently unmet wildlife conservation education and outreach needs there. In 2007, Denver Zoo initiated a fellowship program to provide undergraduate funding for promising research and field assistants working on Zoo-supported projects. One of the most important and enduring investments an institution can make in conservation is building the capacity of committed conservation biologists over the long term. Denver Zoo has supported Kenyan student Symon ole Ranah, who attended one semester at Moi University in Nairobi. Symon and his wife Jennifer and their 2-year-old son, live at Il Polei Group Ranch, which is part of a nine-member cooperative called Naibunga Conservancy, northeast of Nairobi in the Laikipia District. He has just been elected vice secretary of Il Polei Group Ranch.
42. The endemic freshwater fish of Madagascar face a number of challenges to their survival. Denver Zoo’s Alex Saunders and Rick Haeffner are investigating how the Malagasy fish face extinction because of habitat loss, deforestation, and the introduction of exotic species. Denver Zoo supports a captive breeding program to help freshwater fish conservation in Madagascar. The project involves assessing fish habitat; measuring water chemistry, flow, available cover, and food and looking for the presence of exotic competitors and predators.
43. Research in Laikipia, Kenya by Jacob R. Goheen (Mpala Research Center) centers on the endangered hirola as part of the wild and domestic ungulates in eastern Africa. The hirola’s fate hinges on conservation on community lands. Interactions with livestock have been implicated in hirola declines, although the ecological mechanisms remain unclear.  The research seeks the impact of livestock, settlements and watering points on hirola population dynamics and habitat selection.
44. The Laikipia-Samburu reticulated giraffe project is a long-term effort by Dr. Julian Fennessy (Kenyan Land Conservation) aimed at establishing baseline ecological and conservation “health” of the declining population in northern Kenya. The research seeks to improve the giraffe population while establishing population dynamics assessment, range assessment and basic behavioral data.
45. An elephant population control plan by Dr. Deena Brenner of Denver Zoo uses surgical contraception in lieu of culling in free-ranging African elephants. The issue is a critical conservation concern facing many areas in Africa because of overpopulation, ecosystem damage and decreasing biodiversity. Dr. Brenner uses a minimally-invasive surgical technique to vasectomize free-ranging elephants.  This project generates, shares and applies new scientific information in a global conservation effort to control animal populations to protect valuable ecosystems.
46. Cheetahs of the Kalahari in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve by Glyn Maude (University of Bristol). Cheetah are a threatened species across their range and increasingly across Botswana the species is coming into conflcit with ranchers. The aim of this research is to study cheetah populations living in the Central Kalahari rergion  to understand how they can be conserved and how cheetah/ human conflcit issues can be adressed effectively by the Botswana government. This study will also work toward capacity building within Botswana by utilizing an M.S. student from the University of Botswana. The study will examine a number of population ecology and human-cheetah conflict questions, as well as interactions between cheetahs and lions.
47. Dr. Richard Reading of Denver Zoo supervises a study of African wild dogs by Botilo Thato, a Botswana graduate student. The study strives to determine the numbers, densities and pack structures of wild dogs in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and the surrounding area. Research will look into the factors that influence their population dynamics and spatial ecology and bring them into conflict with humans.
    
    
Zoo Projects


48. Developing assisted reproductive technologies for cinereous vultures by Denver Zoo’s Mary Jo Willis, Dr. Julie Long and Dr. Jesus Pelaez, both from the USDA.
49. Denver Zoo’s Brad Parks leads a group of volunteers who determine urban bird numbers through the Audubon Society’s annual Christmas bird count. Parks annually records nesting double-crested cormorants, snowy egrets and black-crowned night herons through the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory’s colony watch. Two colonies in City Park are valuable statewide bird habitats. Parks says his team has sighted 115 bird species in the Zoo or in City Park. The Audubon Society of Greater Denver conducts the Christmas bird count on New Year’s Day on the Front Range and at the Zoo. National Audubon’s Christmas bird count data spans 100+-plus years and has been a valuable tool in comparing bird population densities over time and as evidence of global warming’s impact on wildlife.
50. Denver Zoo is participating in this Conservation Endowment Fund grant project, non-invasive reproductive monitoring and pregnancy diagnosis in polar bears. An SSP-endorsed project. AZA zoos with reproductive female bears are encouraged to participate. We collect fecal samples every other day and daily if possible during times the bears are breeding. We submit these frozen samples quarterly. They are sent to CREW and are analyzed for hormonal trends and changes. This is a formal way to characterize the estrus cycle of the polar bear and to see if this test can be used to determine pregnancy in these bears. Since this species has delayed implantation and the cubs are so small it is hard to detect pregnancy so zoos have to assume bears are pregnant if they breed and manage them accordingly. This method adds one more tool to give us a better indication whether  a bear is pregnant or not. For instance in 2008 Voda’s  hormonal profile indicated that she was pregnant and she was. This last year 2009 her profile looked similar but was not as strong so there was a possibility she was pregnant but more likely it was a false pregnancy and that is what it turned out to be. Our female Soosha shows a very flat or inactive hormonal profile which is probably why even when she was with males in the past she did not breed. This work has not been done in this species before so it is very important data to get and a useful tool in managing the population.
    
    
General Conservation Projects


51. Support for the IUCN re-introduction specialist group
52. Rocky Mountain AAZK support for the Orangutan Conservancy
53. Rocky Mountain AAZK support for the Sahara Conservancy Fund
54. Support for the Snow Leopard Trust, based in Seattle, Wash.
55. Support for the International Elephant Foundation
56. Rocky Mountain AAZK support of the Northern Jaguar Project to purchase jaguar habitat in northern Mexico
57. Support to Sumatran Orangutan Conservation in Indonesia through the Great Ape Trust

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