12、Zoo Outreach Organization Promotes International Vulture Awareness Day in South Asia

 

Rengasamy Marimuthu

Zoo Outreach Organisation

collaborator:Sally R. Walker（Zoo Outreach Organization, Founder/Director）

 

Zoo Outreach Organization (ZOO) runs its own educator’s network called ZOO’s Educator Network ZEN and members are represented from all South Asian countries. We develop and distribute education materials to network members and others during national and international environmental days and on other special occasions free of cost. Our focus is on the more neglected, highly specious taxon groups, such as invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, bats, rodents, insectivores, and primates. Correspondingly, in September 2012, we promoted International Vulture Awareness Day in South Asia.
Vultures are an ecologically vital group of birds that face a range of threats in many areas. In India, three out of nine species are under ecological pressure and are facing extinction. In order to create vulture conservation awareness in South Asia, we contacted the all vulture holding institutions, schools and colleges, regional museums of natural history and others. ZOO created an appropriate South Asia vulture education packet. Packets were the standard model of ZOO with booklets, flash cards, placards, stickers, etc. There were 25 invited institutions in the region that took advantage of the free packet offer and conducted awareness programs and these were reported. The report indicates that the program was a great success.