#reaseheathconservationsociety

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Had a great turnout for the Salamander Chytrid talk held by Liam Fitzpatrick from ZSL last night. He talked about the effects of chytrid fungus both in frogs and toads and the newly discovered fungus in salamanders. It was a very interesting talk and thanks to everyone who came along.

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Yesterday, the society welcomed Susan Jones from the Welsh Mountain Zoo to talk about the work they do for both exotic and native species. It was a great turn out and thank you to everyone who came!

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World Animal Day

Today is World Animal Day!

The aim is to raise awareness with the aim to improve welfare standards for animals around the world.It is celebrated in different ways in every country. Through increased awareness and education, the world can be a place where all animals are recognised as sentient beings and that full regard is paid to their welfare.

All the photos posted today are our own photography from our members. Thank you to everyone who submitted photos!

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World Rhino Day 2015

Today is World Rhino Day and has been annually celebrated since 2010. It is a day to celebrate and appreciate the five species of rhino, Black, White, Greater One Horned, Javan and Sumatran. World Rhino Day came about due to the effort of two women. Lisa Jane Campbell from Zimbabwe decided she wanted to do something in honour for this species. Whilst online she found another woman called Rhishja. World Rhino Day is now celebrated globally and brings together zoos, organisations, individuals and businesses. All of the five species are threatened with extinction, mainly from habitat loss and poaching. They could be extinct as early as 2026 if the current rate of poaching continues.

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Threatened Species Day 2015

Today is Threatened Species Day. It is an annual day celebrated globally on September 7th. It commemorates the death of the last Tasmanian tiger which died in 1936 in Hobart Zoo. It is a day that allows us to reflect on the past but also to focus on the future and how we can protect species that are threatened now. All species play a part in biodiversity and when they become extinct, not inly do we lose a species, we also lose an important component in that ecosystem. Today most species are threatened with habitat loss and human conflict. By raising awareness, we can help bring species back from the brink and stop species from declining in the first place.

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Birds of Cyprus

Hello everyone, Bethan here. I wanted to post something about migrating birds that I learned on a recent trip to Cyprus. Here in the UK, we are passionate about conserving our bird species, so its nice to hear about what other countries are doing for the birds that migrate. Many of you may not know but Cyprus is important for birds on a national, European and global scale. The reason is because it sits on one of the longest European migratory corridors. More than 200 species fly over the island in the autumn and spring as they migrate through Europe and Africa. The estimated number of birds flying over is around 150 million! Yes 150 million. As well as migrating over, around 40 species make their nests on the islands too. To date, 400 species have been recorded in Cyprus. Cyprus has been identified as a Endemic Bird Area by BirdLife International, this is because it has both endemic and subspecies, meaning species that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Well there you go. A little bit of information about conservation and species around the world. We all have a responsibility to protect our global heritage and our national species.

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World Elephant Day

Since 2011, August 12th has been known as World Elephant Day. The aim is spread awareness and share knowledge about the world's largest land mammal. Various organisations get involved to protect this vulnerable species. The main threats to elephants are poaching, habitat loss, human conflict and exploitation. African elephants are listed on the IUCN list as being vulnerable and Asian elephants are listed as endangered. By raising awareness, not only in our own country but in the species natural habitat, we can help minimise the human/animal conflict and help people live in harmony with these animals. We also need to combat the illegal trade of elephant ivory, which is one of the main threats to the species. We can do this by raising awareness. So help elephants out this World Elephant Day by sharing and liking this post to help spread the message!

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World Lion Day

Today is World Lion Day and the photos posted prior to the status are all photos from our wonderful members. We are celebrating these amazing animals today. They are a species at the very top of the food chain and one to which we idolise and admire. So together, lets help raise awareness and share the love for this wonderful species.

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Current Projects

For all the latest news about the society’s latest projects, have a look at our Current Projects page. We have some exciting plans for this year. 

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Global Tiger Day

“The disappearance of tigers from the wild as a result of human actions, would be unpardonable and a sad reflection on our role as guardians of the natural world. If we can’t save the tiger, then this will surely be a signal for the demise of thousands of other species and wild places.” - Bangladesh Tiger Action Plan

Today is Global Tiger Day. The Tiger is the biggest of all the endangered cat species. Three of the nine known species of tiger are already extinct, including the Java tiger. Over the last century, wild population numbers have declined by over 95%.

However there are various organisations that are doing all they can to protect this iconic species, including the WWF, whose aim is to double tiger numbers by 2022.

Earlier in the year, the society helped support the Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance (ALTA) whose includes the Amur tiger, of which only 500 remain in the wild. They work with over 15 international conservation organisations. They have an approach based on good science, threat analysis and long term monitoring.

Together we can save this species.