Each year the population at the Johannesburg Zoo grows as more animals are born. The success of its breeding programmes speaks volumes about the reserve as a caring environment.

WITH scores of new births welcoming the new chief executive officer, the Johannesburg Zoo is geared for great things.

Since the beginning of last year, the City-owned reserve has recorded almost 200 births - this figure shows that it takes excellent care of its animals and makes sure they are healthy and happy. The zoo breeds endangered and rare species, as well as protects those that are on the brink of extinction.

A baby oribi, one of the new antelopes at the zoo

The primary focus for staff is on the wellbeing of all animals. Each enclosure is designed to meet the domestic needs of its residents, from food and shelter to enrichment. "Breeding is seen as a measure of the comfort and happiness of animals. The zoo has a proud record of births and is always delighted to welcome a new baby born to it," reads a statement from the zoo.

There are more than 2 000 animals, representing some 380 species, in the zoo already, and this number grows almost every year. "The recent births mean a lot to the zoo," says Sandra Hlungwani, its public relations and marketing officer. They help to keep up its status as a world-class zoo.

Among the new members of the extensive zoo family are a spider monkey, an anaconda, a wattled crane, a sitatunga, a red leche and a common waterbuck. Other newborns include a genet, an African wild cat, a coati mundi, black and white ruffed lemurs, an nyala and a blue crane. There is also a fennec fox, which comes from the Sahara Desert in North Africa.

Fennec fox
According to Dominic Moss, the curator of carnivores, fennecs are the smallest of all the world's foxes. "They have long, thick hair that insulates them during cold nights and protects them from hot sun during the day," he says. "They are the only pack-oriented breed of fox."

Fennec foxes eat plant matter, although they also snack on rodents, eggs, reptiles and insects. They are considered rare but not endangered. "Like most desert dwellers, the fennec fox has developed the ability to go for long periods without water," Moss explains.

The zoo has a pair of fennecs that share their enclosure with a family of genets - and they keep each other thoroughly entertained.

"Animal collection is one of the biggest components of being a world-class zoo. We are happy that we are able to breed this kind of species," Hlungwani notes. The zoo is "elated to have such an addition to their animal collection", as it is one of the most important births for the park.

Cranes
Speaking about the young blue crane, Jeanne Marie Pittman, the co-ordinator of the Wattled Crane Recovery Programme, says that numbers of blue crane, South Africa's national bird, have declined drastically to about 25 000 birds in the wild.

A baby crane with a puppet as a foster mom

Cranes are large, eye-catching birds and are often the first to disappear under increased environmental pressure.

It is the first time that the zoo is rearing three types of crane at the same time. "The most significant one is the wattled crane, which will be added to our breeding programme and will be returned to the wild," Pittman says.

It houses blue cranes and common cranes, as well as wattled cranes. White and marabou storks, wattled cranes and secretary birds are among the largest species of bird it has. "They ... act as indicators of the health of our environment, particularly of grasslands and wetlands."

Cranes are dependent on wetlands, as are humans. By promoting crane conservation, Pittman notes, the zoo is playing a major role in encouraging safe environmental practices, environmental education and sustainable use of resources for the benefit of all. "With birding trips in particular growing at a rapid rate in South Africa, cranes [will] promote ecotourism and job creation."

Endangered species
As many animals are under threat from habitat destruction, the Joburg Zoo is involved in a number of ambitious conservation projects, including the Wattled Crane Recovery Programme and the Joburg Zoo South African Frog Project. The wattled crane programme entails rescuing abandoned cranes and breeding them, and then costume rearing the young.

The zoo's animal collection team cares for the animals directly by cleaning, feeding and enriching them. A kitchen is open full-time, where a wide range of diets is prepared, ensuring that the best ingredients are available to feed the variety of animals appropriately. There is also a veterinary hospital with two full-time vets and nurses to deal with any health hazards; the chief executive, Stephen van der Spuy, is also a qualified vet, actively alternating his roles.

Most of the breeding encouraged at the zoo is of endangered species, animals that need conservation, and of rare animals. And the recent births prove the success of its conservation efforts.

Moss maintains that while any birth is exciting, the zoo is less concerned with how many animals are born than with what type of animal is born and how it can be conserved. "If we wanted to breed a lot of animals we would, but we are much more concerned about animals that need conservation, as well as about endangered species."

Fortunately, those that breed the most are indigenous frogs, which are part of an intensive project started by the zoo to save indigenous frogs.

Antelope
Richard Shirinda, the acting manager of the antelope section, is also pleased with the births in his section. "Our job is to keep the animals alive; the fact that ours have had so many animals born this year means that we are a facility that cares for its animals ... it means that the zoo's antelope section is a facility to which animals can easily adapt."

While the antelope fertility rate has risen, the zoo has had some problems with breeding elephants and rhinos. "This is probably because our facilities for breeding such species are not yet up to scratch; but the zoo is working on an alternative."

All the young animals are already greeting their adoring public. "While visitors must be alerted that these animals are on display, it might be difficult to see the antelopes as they have a tendency to hide when they are young," Shirinda notes.

The best time to see them is after they have been fed, during their afternoon jaunts around their enclosures.

There are also other projects on the go: monitoring and breeding of ground hornbills, research on African rock pythons, studying of animal behaviour. Many university and technology students use the zoo as a resource to do animal observation studies and studies of particular species regarding feeding, reproductive habits and behaviour enrichment.

Together with the Jane Goodall Institute and the University of the Witwatersrand, the zoo is part of a conservation research project on chimpanzees. It is also a part of the International Species Information System (ISIS), a computer-based system for keeping tabs on wild animal species held in captivity. More than 600 institutions in 54 countries are on the system.

Johannesburg Zoo plays a crucial role in numerous conservation projects around the world, which mainly care for rare and endangered species. The 54ha reserve has more than 2 000 animals belonging to 380 species. For more information, visit the zoo on Jan Smuts Avenue in leafy Parkview, click on the Johannesburg Zoo website, or call 011 646 2000.

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