Avilon Zoo | |
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14°44′41″N121°09′06″E / 14.74472°N 121.15167°E | |
Date opened | 2005 [1] |
Location | Barrio San Isidro, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines. |
Land area | 7.5 hectares (19 acres) [2] |
No. of animals | 3000 [3] |
No. of species | 600+ [3] |
Memberships | SEAZA [4] |
Website | www |
Avilon Zoo is a 7.5-hectare (19-acre) zoo located in Barrio San Isidro, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines. It is operated by the Avilon Wildlife Conservation Foundation, which also operated the Ark Avilon Zoo in Pasig.
Avilon Zoo is currently the largest zoological institution in the Philippines in terms of land area and collection of animals. The 7.5-hectare (19-acre) facility located in Rodriguez, Rizal houses more than 3,000 specimens of exotic wildlife representing more than 600 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, freshwater fishes and invertebrates. The zoo has a diverse collection of Philippine native fauna, most of which have been bred successfully in captivity through Avilon's ex situ conservation programs. Avilon Zoo is also home to a diverse collection of plants of which more than half are endemic to Philippines. Avilon Zoo aims to be one of Southeast Asia's premiere wildlife facilities.
At Avilon Zoo guided tours and educational field trips offer guests the opportunity to learn about wildlife. Conservation efforts being done to preserve threatened species and to protect the environment. Aside from the animals and exhibits, guests are encouraged to experience feeding animals like arapaimas, exotic water fowl, giant tortoises, wild horses and deer and also interact with the zoo's bunch of talented and friendly creatures.
An affiliate indoor zoo known as the Ark Avilon operated in Pasig from 2008 to 2019.
Avilon Wildlife Conservation Foundation is a non-profit organization that is committed to significantly contribute to Philippine wildlife conservation efforts through education and ex situ species preservation programs. The foundation currently runs Avilon Zoo in Rodriguez, Rizal and Ark Avilon Zoo in Pasig.
Avilon Wildlife Conservation Foundation is a member of the Southeast Asian Zoos Association (SEAZA).
Avilon has successfully bred the Gray's monitor lizard (Varanus olivaceus) or "butaan" ex situ (in captivity). The first documented V. olivaceus successfully hatched and reared in captivity was a female named Grasya. The successful hatching was featured in Animal Planet's "BUTAAN: The Lost Dragon".
Ex situ conservation literally means, "off-site conservation". It is the process of protecting an endangered species, variety or breed, of plant or animal outside its natural habitat; for example, by removing part of the population from a threatened habitat and placing it in a new location, an artificial environment which is similar to the natural habitat of the respective animal and within the care of humans, example are zoological parks and wildlife sanctuaries. The degree to which humans control or modify the natural dynamics of the managed population varies widely, and this may include alteration of living environments, reproductive patterns, access to resources, and protection from predation and mortality. Ex situ management can occur within or outside a species' natural geographic range. Individuals maintained ex situ exist outside an ecological niche. This means that they are not under the same selection pressures as wild populations, and they may undergo artificial selection if maintained ex situ for multiple generations.
Species reintroduction is the deliberate release of a species into the wild, from captivity or other areas where the organism is capable of survival. The goal of species reintroduction is to establish a healthy, genetically diverse, self-sustaining population to an area where it has been extirpated, or to augment an existing population. Species that may be eligible for reintroduction are typically threatened or endangered in the wild. However, reintroduction of a species can also be for pest control; for example, wolves being reintroduced to a wild area to curb an overpopulation of deer. Because reintroduction may involve returning native species to localities where they had been extirpated, some prefer the term "reestablishment".
Walden's hornbill locally called dulungan, also known as the Visayan wrinkled hornbill, rufous-headed hornbill or writhe-billed hornbill, is a critically endangered species of hornbill living in the rainforests on the islands of Negros and Panay in the Philippines. It is closely related to the writhed hornbill, but can be recognized by the yellow throat and ocular skin in the male, and the blue throat and ocular skin in the female. Its binomial name commemorates the Scottish ornithologist Viscount Walden.
Prague Zoological Garden is a zoo in Prague, Czech Republic. It was opened in 1931 with the goal to "advance the study of zoology, protect wildlife, and educate the public" in the district of Troja in the north of Prague. In 2013, the zoo occupied 58 hectares with 50 hectares in use for exhibits, and housed around 5,000 animals from 676 species, including 132 species listed as threatened.
Captive breeding, also known as captive propagation, is the process of keeping plants or animals in controlled environments, such as wildlife reserves, zoos, botanic gardens, and other conservation facilities. It is sometimes employed to help species that are being threatened by the effects of human activities such as climate change, habitat loss, fragmentation, overhunting or fishing, pollution, predation, disease, and parasitism.
The Visayan spotted deer, also known as the Visayan deer, the Philippine spotted deer, is a small, endangered, primarily nocturnal species of deer found in the rainforests of the Visayan Islands of Panay and Negros. It once was found across other islands, such as Cebu, Guimaras, Leyte, Masbate, and Samar. It is one of three endemic deer species found in the Philippines, although it was not recognized as a separate species until 1983. An estimated 2,500 mature individuals survived worldwide in 1996, according to the IUCN; today’s surviving wild number is uncertain. The diet of the deer, which consists of a variety of different types of grasses, leaves, and buds within the forest, is the primary indicator of its habitat. Since 1991, the range of the species has severely decreased and is now almost co-extensive with that of the Visayan warty pig.
The Philippine eagle-owl is a vulnerable species of owl belonging to the family Strigidae. It is endemic to the Philippines, where it is found in lowland forests on the islands of Catanduanes, Samar, Bohol, Mindanao, Luzon, Leyte and possibly Sibuyan. The Philippine eagle-owl feeds on rodents and amphibians. Due to its reliance on living in large lowland forests, forest conservation is important in order to maintain populations of the Philippine eagle-owl, which is becoming increasingly vulnerable to going extinct. The Philippine eagle-owl was previously listed as endangered, but due to destruction of lowland habitat and possible hunting, the eagle-owl has since been adjusted to the vulnerability of extinction.
The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) is the "umbrella" organization for the world zoo and aquarium community. Its mission is to provide leadership and support for zoos, aquariums, and partner organizations of the world in animal care and welfare, conservation of biodiversity, environmental education and global sustainability.
Nandankanan Zoological Park is a 437-hectare (1,080-acre) zoo and botanical garden in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. Established in 1960, it was opened to the public in 1979 and became the first zoo in India to join World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) in 2009. It also contains a botanical garden and part of it has been declared a sanctuary. Nandankanan, literally meaning The Garden of Heaven, is located near the capital city, Bhubaneswar, in the environs of the Chandaka forest, and includes the 134-acre (54 ha) Kanjia lake.
A zoo is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes.
Newquay Zoo is a zoological garden located within Trenance Leisure Park in Newquay, England. The zoo was opened in Cornwall on Whit Monday, 26 May 1969 by the local council. It was privately owned by Mike Thomas and Roger Martin from 1993 until 2003. In August 2003 Stewart Muir became the new Director and the zoo became part of the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, alongside Paignton Zoo and Living Coasts. The zoo is part of a registered charity, and was awarded various South West and Cornwall 'Visitor Attraction of The Year' and 'Sustainable Tourism' awards for excellence in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Newquay Zoo is now run as part of the Wild Planet Trust, the new name for the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust.
The Gray's monitor is a large monitor lizard known only from lowland dipterocarp forest in southern Luzon, Catanduanes, and Polillo Island, all islands in the Philippines. It is also known as Gray's monitor lizard, butaan, and ornate monitor. It belongs to the subgenus Philippinosaurus. It is largely arboreal and extremely shy. The population of northern Luzon was formerly included in the Gray's monitor, but has been recognized as a separate species, the northern Sierra Madre forest monitor, since 2010.
A frozen zoo is a storage facility in which genetic materials taken from animals are stored at very low temperatures (−196 °C) in tanks of liquid nitrogen. Material preserved in this way can be stored indefinitely and used for artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, embryo transfer, and cloning. There are a few frozen zoos across the world that implement this technology for conservation efforts. Several different species have been introduced to this technology, including the Pyrenean ibex, Black-footed ferret, and potentially the white rhinoceros.
The Amphibian Ark is an organization that focuses on the conservation of amphibian populations by planning and implementing ex situ programs in zoos and wildlife organizations around the world.
The Manila Zoo, formally known as the Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden, is a 5.5-hectare (14-acre) zoo located in Malate, Manila, Philippines. First opened on July 25, 1959, it was recently renovated and reopened on November 21, 2022.
Birds International Incorporated or BII is a company working in the field of aviculture established in 1975 by Antonio de Dios. It is located in Quezon City near Manila, the capital of the Philippines.
Paradise Wildlife Park is a family-run wildlife park and charity located in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England. Previously known as Broxbourne Zoo, it was renamed Paradise Wildlife Park after it came under the management of Peter & Grace Sampson family in 1984. In 2017, their daughter Lynn Whitnall became CEO and continued the family business. They became Zoological Society of Hertfordshire (ZSH) in 2017, a registered charity (no.1108609) that works alongside Paradise Wildlife Park. The zoo receives no government funding. Since 2017, it has been named Hertfordshire's best outdoor attraction by TripAdvisor.
Ark Avilon Zoo was an indoor zoo in Pasig, Metro Manila, Philippines. It was affiliated with the Avilon Zoo in Rodriguez (Montalban), Rizal.
The Royal Zoological Society of South Australia is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and their habitats, education, and research. The society is located in Adelaide, South Australia, and it operates two zoos in South Australia: Adelaide Zoo and Monarto Safari Park.