Colchester: Zoo lands top award (From Gazette)

Colchester: Zoo lands top award

6:00am Friday 21st November 2008 in News By Andrea Collitt

Colchester Zoo has been rewarded for its contribution to field conservation and helping to advance wildlife medicine.

It was commended for its work with the fisher’s estuarine moth in the best field conservation project award.

The zoo created a captive breeding and release programme for the moth, which has a UK distribution restricted only to Essex.

The zoo also received a commendation for significant advances in zoo and wildlife medicine.

Keepers pioneered a programme with the zoo’s amur leopard to train him to accept a stethoscope placed on his chest.

The project involved a series of positive training techniques to check the leopard’s heartbeat without the need for anaesthetic.

The awards are given by the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA).

They are designed to recognise achievements including outstanding contributions in the fields of wildlife conservation, advances in animal welfare and husbandry, and sustained breeding programmes.