I thought it fitting for my first blog attempt to write about my most recent trip – a journey through Vietnam. Before I left, most people were like “Vietnam? Why are you going to Vietnam? Africa, I understand. Australia, yes. South America, sure. But Vietnam?” So then I explained why.
Our SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund supports hundreds of projects in more than 60 countries around the world. I wanted to visit as many as possible on one trip this summer. When I matched up projects and locations, the best single country to visit was Vietnam. In 2007 alone, the Fund supported six different wildlife conservation, research, and rescue projects in Vietnam. Additionally, the Fund supports two projects a bit larger in scope (multinational footprint) with activity in Vietnam. To top it off, there was a Vietnam-based project from last year’s (2006) grant cycle that was still active. So basically, the dart on the map landed on this unique and intriguing Southeast Asian country.
I planned the trip myself and asked two colleagues to join me for this great adventure – Dr. Judy St. Leger, a SeaWorld/Busch Gardens veterinarian and pathologist, and Lisa Hugueley, a former SeaWorld animal trainer I’ve known for years, who now owns her own videography business. My choice of companions was strategic. As a vet, Judy could consult at the rescue centers (which can always use more help) and Lisa, who understands both animals and film, could document our trip.
So now that you understand the “why” behind my journey to Vietnam, I will go into more of the “what” I saw and experienced. Prior to departing, I contacted each of the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund grantees and associated conservation partners in country and asked if we could visit with them during our trip. Every single one responded with a positive and enthusiastic “Yes, let’s get you out to see the project!” Suddenly, my biggest challenge became fitting everything in to our two week travel schedule. This was compounded by the fact that some of the projects were definitely what you would call “out in the field.” So, in some cases, we were just able to meet with the primary investigator while in Hanoi (Vietnam’s capital), and in other cases, we put on our backpacks and hiked in and out of what remains of Vietnam’s wild forest areas.
Our first stop after an overnight in Hanoi was Cuc Phoung National Park, a protected forest only about three hours outside of the bustling capital city. One of the projects I am most excited by is based right here in the park – the Asian Pangolin Conservation Program – a rescue and research center for an animal few people have ever even heard of in the U.S. Pangolins are illegally hunted by the thousands in Southeast Asia, primarily for export to the Chinese market to satisfy the demand for exotic meat, skins for leather products, and traditional medicines which incorporate the pangolin’s unique scales. Aside from the individual trauma experienced by the pangolins via poaching, the real problem is that the trafficking is unsustainable. If nothing is done, these amazing, harmless, and ecologically important animals will disappear just as we are learning more about them.
Slowing the trade in these fascinating animals is the focus of three distinct but related pangolin projects we support. The Fund is helping World Wildlife Fund and Conservation International document and track the illegal harvest and trade in pangolins in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, with the intent of influencing more effective law enforcement against illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade. The Fund is also helping the Asian Pangolin Conservation Program staff investigate and analyze pangolins’ nutritional needs to increase survival. At the program’s Cuc Phoung center, the staff is attempting to find out more about how to successfully care for these animals once they have been rescued and confiscated by TRAFFIC – an organization which centers its efforts on the illegal trade in wildlife (one of the top three illegal trades in the world, right up there with guns and drugs).
Before I go any further, let me tell you what I know about the pangolin, a.k.a. the “scaly anteater.” There are eight living species, all fairly similar in appearance, with artichoke leaf-shaped scales covering most of their body. Pangolins are found in both Africa and Asia. They specialize in eating ants (some species may prey on termites) and no one knows what else. The pangolins I encountered in the Vietnamese rescue center had a prehensile tail, weighed 7-10 pounds, and only liked ants – fresh ants – brought in daily by the keepers who cared for them. They slept in underground dens during the day, came out for short periods of time at night to forage and investigate their enclosures, were surprisingly unruffled when handled, and could down a few thousand ants in a very short period of time.
Very little else is known about pangolin behavior or diet, where they are found in such numbers by poachers, or how many are left. Scientists are fairly certain that pangolin populations have been dramatically reduced, if not exterminated all together, across China and now into Vietnam, as the poached animals appear to be coming from further and further away to satisfy the Chinese market’s demand. This is of course the crux of the problem – demand. The same is true of the illegal ivory trade, that of rhino horn, many endangered species of turtles, coral, and countless other at-risk species continuing to be threatened by unmitigated consumption.
What can we do? First, we can become informed consumers. We can make certain that if we travel to foreign countries we don’t knowingly (or ignorantly) buy endangered species or illegal wildlife products. We can also steer clear of eating protected or endangered animals. You might never have experienced the opportunity to do this, but with an upcoming Olympics in China, with more ethnic practices and exotic foods available here in the U.S., you might find yourself in the position of having to make a decision. Is it an easy one? Sometimes the choices at the table aren’t as extreme as “Should I eat an endangered species or not?” Sometimes the choices are more subtle. Is there a conservation ethic behind the food choices you make? Should there be? Tell me what you think. And in the meantime, if you want to read more about my Vietnam trip and the other projects we support there, check back for new entries here in Julie’s Journal. You can also visit SWBG-Conservationfund.org to find out more about all the projects we support around the world.
Julie\'s Journal 