Chief Executive's Report

Chief Executive's Report for the year ended December 2007

• Chief Executive's Report in PDF format (25KB)

The last year - the year of 2007 - has been without a doubt an excellent year for Wildlife Information Network. In my previous report I mentioned that we were exploring the possibility of making our information resource freely available to countries in the developing world. At a memorable reception in March 2007 I was able to launch our Open Access initiative through which anyone in over 160 countries in the developing world can now benefit by having free access to the WIN Website. This is clearly a momentous development and milestone for the charity, and leads us to my next goal of preparing the charity to go Open Access globally.

Upon my recommendation, during the year the WIN Board elected two additional trustees to assist the charity. I was very pleased to welcome Mr Bernard Harrison, Principal Partner of Bernard Harrison & Friends, Singapore and Professor Sheila Crispin, Senior Vice-President Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and Member of Defra’s Science Advisory Council, who now sit on the WIN Board.

I very much see Bernard's role as being that of a roving ambassador for WIN and promoting the Open Access project in developing countries, with special emphasis on the Middle and Far East, including the Pacific Rim. And I know that Sheila will make significant contributions to the research and science of our projects.

Our highly qualified staff continue researching and providing referenced scientific information for wildlife decision-makers, and universities and colleges worldwide confident in the knowledge that we are making a measurable difference to wildlife and those responsible for the animals and their environments. Again WIN has produced new scientific volumes this year that have been critically acclaimed both by the conservationists and academics alike.

Using WIN's unique Wildpro® Multimedia information system, we completed and added the following new volumes over the last year to our Electronic Encyclopaedia and Library:

Bears: Health and Management
This volume is the second publication in the Wildpro series to be researched specifically for conservation organisations and zoos, and was commissioned by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA). The volume contains information on the natural history, conservation status, management, diseases and treatment of the American Black Bear, Asiatic Black Bear, European Brown, Bear/Grizzly Bear, Polar Bear, Sloth Bear, Sun Bear and Spectacled Bear. It was launched at the Bear Information Exchange for Rehabilitators, Zoos and Sanctuaries Symposium (BIERZS 2007) held in Pomona, California and was immediately applauded "…as an incredible resource with an amazing amount of information".

Rabies in Raccoons
This Wildpro volume, which was commissioned by the US Department of Agriculture, National Wildlife Research Center, Colorado was also completed during the year.

Research in Progress
In the year Twycross Zoo was successful in obtaining a substantial grant from the East Midland Development Agency (EMDA) for the re-development of the Zoo's Entrance. We at WIN take this opportunity to congratulate everyone at Twycross Zoo involved in obtaining such major funding, and particularly the Director who lead the process so ably. Following the confirmation of the EMDA grant, WIN was subsequently commissioned by the Zoo to research and collate information on Snow Leopards and Waders in preparation of the new development that will incorporate enclosures to exhibit these two species. As this project has time constraints, I have deployed two researchers to work full time on this project. Our volumes on Cranes: Health and Management and Viral Diseases of Great Apes are well underway, but are currently on hold for the time being to allow for the first critical phase of the Zoo project to be completed.

Having published Wildpro volumes aimed specifically for the conservation community, I considered it appropriate to address the needs of the universities and colleges that are members of WIN and make up the greater part of our subscribers. To that end I commissioned a survey of our UK academic members to establish what subjects they really needed most to support their curricula. Surprisingly the result of the survey showed first a clear need for information on lagomorphs (rabbits, hares and pikkas), and the second choice was a request for a module on mustelids (ferrets etcetera).

I am pleased to report that my appeal for funding to undertake "Lagomorphs: Health and Management" was successful and we now have another full time veterinary surgeon on the WIN staff dedicating her time to this project. When the lagomorph volume comes close to completion, I shall explore the possibility of raising further funds to undertake a similar module on ferrets, martens and related mustelid species.

My scientists advise me that the lagomorph project will contain the most comprehensive scientific information on this species and will include video-clips and still images of unusual and difficult veterinary procedures. I have been assured that the resulting Wildpro volume will quickly become recommended reading for anyone involved with rabbits. I am glad to advise that Mrs Frances Harcourt-Brown FRCVS, probably the foremost scientific authority on rabbits in the UK, has agreed to be our lead peer reviewer.

Modules under Consideration
WIN has an enviable reputation for researching emerging infectious diseases as shown by previous successful projects on Foot-and-Mouth Disease, West Nile Virus and Chronic Wasting Disease. With the advent of Blue Tongue Disease (BTV) arriving on our shores, I am seeking funding to research both BTV and African Horse Sickness, which is a particularly unpleasant virus and carries a 70% plus mortality rate for horses. Should AHS arrive in the UK we could easily see our bloodstock industry, the envy of the world, brought to the point of total collapse. You only have to imagine a complete Government blanket ban on all equine movement to see the cessation of racing, brood mares to stud, gymkhanas and similar horse related pastimes.

Conferences
In addition to our research, WIN had representatives attending many important conferences and scientific meetings throughout the world and, in many cases, giving papers. These conferences are becoming all the more important to attend as it gives us a targeted platform to promote and raise awareness of our Open Access initiative.

A separate section lists the conferences and meetings that WIN attended during the year but three very important conferences where we had a presence were African Association of Zoological Gardens and Aquaria (PAAZAB), European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), and World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) held in Plettenburg Bay, Warsaw, and Budapest respectively.

Special Thanks and Acknowledgements
It is thanks to past and present supporters that WIN is able to undertake the very important research that is valued by wildlife professionals, and the academic and conservation communities alike. Our particular thanks goes to the following organisations: Balcombe Trust, British Airways, The Dennis Curry Charitable Trust, First Great Western, Marsh Christian Trust, The Royal Veterinary College, Twycross Zoo - East Midland Zoological Society and World Society for the Protection of Animals.

Our thanks and sincere appreciation also go to African Association of Zoos and Aquaria, Albuquerque Biological Park, Balcombe Trust, Bayer Animal Health (UK & Germany), British Airways, British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Celia Haddon, City Bridge Trust Corporation of the City of London, Colchester Zoo, Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, Dennis Curry Charitable Trust, Department for International Development, English Nature, Edna Smylie Memorial Fund, Environment Agency, European Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians, First Great Western, Fort Dodge Animal Health, Genitrix Ltd, Great North Eastern Railway, Humane Society of the United States, HSBC Holdings plc, International Fund for Animal Welfare, International Media Services, Intervet International bv, Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Marsh Christian Trust, Matthew Eyton Animal Welfare Trust, Merial Animal Health Limited, North of England Zoological Society, Olympus Optical Co (UK) Limited, Rabbit Welfare Fund and Association, The Royal Parks Agency, Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, The Royal Veterinary College, Safe Solutions Ltd, Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Supreme Petfoods, Twycross Zoo Association, Twycross Zoo-East Midland Zoological Society, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, USDA National Wildlife Research Center, USGS National Wildlife Health Center (Department of the Interior), Vetark Professional, William Haddon Trust, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, World Society for the Protection of Animals and The Zoological Society of London for their generous support and contributions to WIN's activities.

It only leaves me to thank our Patron, Presidents, Board of Trustees and Advisors to the Board for their guidance and advice throughout the year, and also to the Council of Twycross Zoo - East Midland Zoological Society for their support and encouragement.

To conclude, WIN has had an exceptional year in 2007 with new projects being commissioned, additional trustees being elected and - the jewel in the crown - the launch of the Open Access initiative for developing countries. I have to admit that I get an extraordinary amount of personal satisfaction when I receive e-mails from veterinarians, scientists and similar users of the WIN Website from countries in the developing world saying what an excellent resource it is and thanking us for the free access. The goal now is obviously to make that next step happen and plan for taking WIN into the public domain by Global Open Access.
 

Iain M W Boardman

Chief Executive

Appendix to the Chief Executive's Report 2007

Conferences & Meetings attended 2007:

• Zoos and Aquariums Committing to Conservation (ZACC), Houston, Texas
• British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA), Birmingham
• Detecting the next Threat - surveillance for new and emerging diseases, Defra, London
• International Symposium on the Diseases of Zoo and Wild Animals, Edinburgh
• British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), Banham Zoo, Lowestoft
• African Association of Zoos and Aquaria (PAAZAB), Plettenberg Bay, South Africa
• Global Amphibian Declines, Zoological Society of London, London
• Bear Information Exchange for Rehabilitators, Zoos, and Sanctuaries (BIERZS), Pomona, California
• European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), Warsaw
• Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG), Budapest
• World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), Budapest
• British Veterinary Zoological Society (BVZS), Autumn Meeting, Nottingham
• Aviornis Council Meeting & AGM, Beale Park
  Ecology and Management of Wildlife Diseases, York
• BIAZA Bird Working Group Meeting, Blackpool
• Animal Health Information Specialists (AHIS), Edinburgh

Contributions to Publications and Conference Proceedings 2007:

• Elephants - Overweight and Undersexed. Zoos and Aquariums Committing to Conservation (ZACC)
• “Reducing losses during Incubation and Hatching” - Aviornis International Volume 17.1
• Health and Management of Bears - Assisted by Information, BIERZS
• In situ, ex-situ: Worldwide Wildlife Webs, WAZA

Lectures/Presentations 2007

• Wildpro demonstration for International Crane Foundation (ICF), Baraboo, Wisconsin
• Wildpro demonstration for National Wildlife Health Centre (NWHC), Madison, Wisconsin
• Wildpro demonstration for BIAZA Bird Working Group
  “Welcome to Penguin Hell” - dealing with the Treasure oil spill, for ICF, Baraboo, Wisconsin
• “Handling, Physical and Chemical Restraint of Marsupials” and “Therapeutics and Preventative Medicine of Marsupials” - MSc Wild Animal Health course, Zoological Society of London / The Royal Veterinary College, London
• “Darting: Remote Injection” - Anaesthesia Elective Final Year Veterinary Students, Cambridge University Veterinary School
• “Disease and Mortality in Bennett’s Wallabies at Whipsnade Wild Animal Park” and “Disease & Mortality in the Free-Ranging Mammals at Whipsnade Wild Animal Park”: MSc Wild Animal Health / Wild Animal Biology courses, Zoological Society of London / The Royal Veterinary College, London