North Carolina Zoological Society Inc

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

VIRGIN ISLANDS (VI) BOA CAPTIVE BREEDING RECOVERY INITIATIVE

FUNDS UNDER THIS AWARD ARE TO BE USED TO COMPENSATE NORTH CAROLINA ZOO AND POINT DEFIANCE ZOO AND AQUARIUM FOR ESTIMATED TRAVEL EXPENSES, APPROXIMATELY 20 PERCENT AND 12 PERCENT OF STAFF TIME, RESPECTIVELY, AND OTHER COSTS ACCRUED FOR MANAGING THE RED WOLF SPECIES SURVIVAL PLAN (SSP) AND MANAGING THE STUDBOOK.

NC ZOO RED WOLF CAPTIVE BREEDING PROGRAM EXPANSION

ASSESSMENT OF DISEASE RISK AND DEVELOPMENT OF HEALTH MONITORING PROTOCOLS FOR THE CONSERATION OF THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED CROSS RIVER GORILLA

CONSERVATION OF CROSS RIVER GORILLAS AT NIGERIA'S AFI MOUNTAIN WILDLIFE SANCTUARY THROUGH RANGER-BASED MONITORING AND LAW ENFORCEMENT

THE GOPHER FROG (RANA CAPITO, NC STATE ENDANGERED) HAS DECLINED SEVERELY ACROSS ITS RANGE, ESPECIALLY IN NORTH CAROLINA, WHERE ONLY 7 OF THE HISTORICAL 23 POPULATIONS REMAIN. HEADSTARTING IS AN IMPORTANT CONSERVATION STRATEGY USED TO AUGMENT GOPHER FROG POPULATIONS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST, AND WE HAVE USED IT SUCCESSFULLY IN NC AS WELL. SINCE 2016, STAFF FROM THE NORTH CAROLINA ZOO (NCZ) ALONG WITH THE NORTH CAROLINA WILDLIFE RESOURCES COMMISSION (NCWRC) HAVE HEADSTARTED AND RELEASED OVER 2,000 GOPHER FROGS AT MULTIPLE SITES WITHIN THE SANDHILLS GAMELAND POPULATION. OCCURRING CONCOMITANTLY, THE NCWRC HAS BEEN WORKING ON RESTORATION AND CREATION OF SUITABLE WETLANDS FOR GOPHER FROG BREEDING, WITHIN KNOWN POPULATIONS. RELEASES AT ONE OF THESE RESTORATION SITES RESULTED IN SUCCESSFUL REPRODUCTION EVENTS IN LESS THAN 5 YEARS, PROVING EARLY SUCCESS IN DEVELOPING NEW POPULATIONS. WHILE WE HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL WITH THE LIMITED RESOURCES AVAILABLE, WE CAN INCREASE OUR OVERALL EFFORTS AND SUCCESS BY COMMITTING A FULL-TIME STAFF MEMBER TO THE HEADSTARTING PROGRAM. BECAUSE A PERMANENT POSITION IS NOT AVAILABLE, FUNDING FROM GRANTS OR PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS IS NECESSARY TO SUPPORT A TEMPORARY POSITION. OUR GOAL IS TO CREATE A FULL-TIME TECHNICIAN POSITION FOR 3 YEARS TO SUPPORT THE NCZS AMPHIBIAN CONSERVATION PROGRAM, WHICH WILL INCLUDE SUPPORT FOR GOPHER FROG HEADSTARTING AND MONITORING FOR 26 WEEKS PER YEAR.THIS TECHNICIAN WILL IMPROVE THE SUCCESS OF THE GOPHER FROG HEADSTARTING PROGRAM THROUGH CONSISTENT HUSBANDRY, REGULAR TADPOLE MONITORING, AND INCREASED WATER QUALITY TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN WILL ALSO ASSIST WITH MANAGEMENT OF AN ENCLOSED OUTDOOR BREEDING POND AT THE ZOO, SPECIFICALLY OUTFITTED FOR GOPHER FROGS, INCLUDING HUSBANDRY OF ADULTS, AND MONITORING BREEDING ACTIVITY THROUGH CAMERAS AND ACOUSTIC RECORDING DEVICES. THIS MANAGED BREEDING POND WILL INCREASE FROG PRODUCTION BEYOND THAT OF WILD POPULATIONS AND PROVIDE IMPORTANT RECRUITMENT DURING DROUGHT YEARS, WHEN LITTLE OR NO NATURAL BREEDING OCCURS. THIS TECHNICIAN WILL ALSO COORDINATE RELEASES AND PARTICIPATE IN HABITAT IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, SUCH AS THE CONSTRUCTION OF ARTIFICIAL BURROWS AT RELEASE SITES TO INCREASE THE SURVIVAL OF RELEASED FROGS.NORTH CAROLINA ZOO UTILIZES EXISTING STAFF TO MANAGE THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS ON THIS PROJECT, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF EXISTING STAFF EXPERIENCE AND AVAILABLE TIME. THE ZOO WILL CONTINUE TO COMMIT SIGNIFICANT IN-KIND SUPPORT THROUGH FACILITIES, OPERATIONAL COSTS, EGG COLLECTIONS SURVEYS, AND CONTRIBUTING AT LEAST $5,000 YEAR IN DIRECT SUPPORT FOR THIS POSITION. THROUGH EFFORTS OF STAFF AT NCWRC, SPECIFICALLY WORKING ON GOPHER FROGS, ADDITIONAL IN-KIND SUPPORT WILL INCLUDE $44,000 YEAR. ALL FUNDS RECEIVED AND COMMITTED TO THIS PROJECT ARE MANAGED THROUGH OUR NON-PROFIT ZOO SOCIETY (NORTH CAROLINA ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY) AND ARE NOT SUBJECT TO OVERHEAD COSTS.IN ADDITION TO OUR FIELD EFFORTS, NCZ AND NCWRC BOTH CONDUCT PUBLIC OUTREACH ON GOPHER FROG CONSERVATION. NCZ HAS A PUBLIC EXHIBIT FOR GOPHER FROGS, WHICH HOUSES GOPHER FROGS AND DESCRIBES OUR CONSERVATION EFFORTS. THIS IS ADJACENT TO AN INVESTIGATION STATION, WHICH IS A THEMED CART WHERE EDUCATORS INTERACT WITH GUESTS TO SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT GOPHER FROGS. WE ALSO HIGHLIGHT THIS HEADSTARTING PROJECT THROUGH PUBLICATIONS, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND TOURS FOR CAMPS, SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY CLASSES, AND OTHER GROUPS.

IN 2018, THE LONG-TIME RED WOLF SSP COORDINATOR AND STUDBOOK KEEPER RETIRED. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AZA CANID AND HYENID TAXON ADVISORY GROUP (TAG) SELECTED A NEW SSP COORDINATOR, LOCATED WITH THE NORTH CAROLINA ZOO (NCZ), AND A NEW STUDBOOK KEEPER, LOCATED WITH PDZA. THE SSP COORDINATOR POSITION IS NEEDED TO OVERSEE A SCIENCE-BASED BREEDING PROGRAM FOR ALL RED WOLVES THAT ARE MANAGED IN THE POPULATION UNDER HUMAN CARE. THE SSP COORDINATOR WORKS COLLABORATIVELY WITH MORE THAN 40 INSTITUTION REPRESENTATIVES AND MANY AZA ORGANIZATIONS TO ASSURE THAT THE CAPTIVE POPULATION NOT ONLY REMAINS GENETICALLY DIVERSE, BUT IS ALSO LARGE ENOUGH TO SUPPORT THE USFWS RED WOLF RECOVERY PROGRAM. THE RED WOLF STUDBOOK KEEPER IS CHARGED WITH MAINTAINING AN ACCURATE RECORD OF THE CAPTIVE POPULATION, WHICH INCLUDES PROVIDING HISTORICAL GENETIC INFORMATION ON ALL WOLVES. ACCURATE STUDBOOK RECORDS ARE ESSENTIAL TO MANAGING THE CAPTIVE POPULATION AND FULFILLING THE GOAL OF LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY. BOTH POSITIONS ARE VITAL TO THE MANAGEMENT AND SUCCESS OF THE SSP AND ITS ABILITY TO MEET USFWS RECOVERY GOALS.

THE VIRGIN ISLAND BOA CHILABOTHRUS GRANTI IS LISTED AS ENDANGERED BY THE USFWS AND THE IUCN CURRENT SURVEYS HAVE SHOWN THAT LIKELY SIGNIFICANT POPULATION DECLINES HAVE OCCURRED IN SOME OF THE SPECIES STRONGHOLDS, JUST IN THE LAST DECADE IN ADDITION, IT IS LIKELY THAT THE SPECIES IS EXPERIENCING DECLINES IN THE OTHER POPULATIONS, BUT SURVEYS HAVE NOT BEEN CONDUCTED THROUGHOUT ITS RANGE BASED ON THE MOST RECENT 5 YEAR REVIEW AND PROPOSED SSA, SUCCESSFUL RECOVERY OF THE VI BOA WILL REQUIRE THE ASSISTANCE OF EX SITU MANAGEMENT, INCLUDING A REINTRODUCTION PROGRAM THIS STRATEGY HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THE PAST AND WAS RECENTLY REINVIGORATED IN USVI THROUGH THE INITIATION OF A BREEDING PROGRAM THIS IS ALSO BEING EXPANDED IN THE NEAR FUTURE TO INCLUDE THE PR POPULATION OUR CURRENT PLAN IS TO SURVEY 3 PREVIOUSLY UNDOCUMENTED ISLANDS FOR VI BOAS, ASSESS THESE THREE ISLANDS FOR SUITABILITY OF RELEASE OF VI BOAS HABITAT QUALITY, INVASIVE SPECIES PRESENCE, PREY TYPE CHARACTERIZED ABUNDANCE AS OUR THREE METRICS , TRANSLOCATE BOAS ZOO AND WILD , TRAIN PARTNERS STAFF TO MONITOR TRACK BOAS POST RELEASE , AND CONDUCT POST RELEASE MONITORING