Saving sharks on zoo's list too

Zoo's breeding programme well-known but it can do more to raise awareness of need for conservation, says CEO

BUSY as he may be, the Singapore Zoological Gardens' chief executive officer Bernard Harrison still meets restaurant managers around Singapore to persuade them not to serve shark's fins.

He said: 'These managers are not unreasonable people. When we talk to them about sharks dying out, they get concerned too.

'But their only problem is that shark's fin is a high-value food. So they need an alternative for their business. That is the problem we're trying to solve now.'

His off-duty efforts underscore the importance he places on raising awareness of the need for conservation.

He said that the Singapore Zoological Gardens may be famous for its breeding programmes, but can do more to spread the message about conservation.

Mr Harrison, also vice-president of the World Zoo and Aquarium Association, said: 'About 680 million people pass through zoos around the world annually, so if all the zoos can convince their visitors to do something about conservation, we are a very powerful collective (group) of institutions.'

Last year, the Open Zoo had 1.4 million visitors, while the Night Safari had 900,000.

The zoo has plaques at each animal enclosure to educate visitors about the animals. Posters to get people to be more conservation friendly also line the walls.

With its counterpart, the Asian Wildlife Fund, the zoo makes infomercials on television, using celebrities such as Jackie Chan, to promote conservation.

But zoos have to go beyond such education programmes to find ways to empower visitors, he said.

Donating money is 'such an indirect act', he said.

'So, our challenge is always to find something that they can do to contribute.'

Citing the recent debate on shark's-fin consumption, Mr Harrison said that it could be one of the ways to empower people.

Recently, animal-welfare groups and conservation bodies have been calling people to cut down on sharks' fin consumption as sharks are being hunted down in great numbers.

He said: 'One of the ways people can feel empowered, is when they take an issue upon themselves and act on it. For example, just go to a Chinese wedding dinner and say, 'I'm not eating shark's fin', and tell others around the table not to eat it also.

'Sure, most of them will continue eating after your lecture. Some will even say, 'give me your bowl since you're not eating', but then at least you've done something for conservation and you'll go out feeling good about it.'