At the end of May, Sarah and I visited Dudley Zoological Gardens (DZG) in the British West Midlands.  For the two of us, it was our first meeting: although we've known each other for many years online, we'd never met in person.  As WTD's UK-based person, Sarah is much more local to DZG than I am (I live in Australia).

DZG has participated in WTD activities for some years, having hosted its first celebration in 2010, and for the last three years.  It's understandable that they have been so active: DZG has a very successful Lowland tapir breeding program.  At the time of our visit, Meena had given birth to her sixth calf only three days beforehand.  The calf's birth was still secret, and almost nobody had been able to see her yet.  Whilst we were also unable to see her, it was a privilege to be let into the secret (and be sworn to secrecy to keep it a secret until the official announcement!).

At the time of our visit in late May, DZG had just celebrated its 80th anniversary.  It is located in and around the ruins of an 11th century castle, which burned down in 1750.  Much of DZG's grounds is heritage listed, which makes modernising animal enclosures a challenge as they cannot be modified in any significant manner (even down to the colour of the paint that may be used).  In addition, the historical lack of financial support from the British Government also makes the upkeep of the castle ruins and enclosures and expensive undertaking.

Working within such confines is challenging for DZG and its staff, but one that it is taking on with relish.  It has recently been successful in obtaining £1.15 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund for restoring the tectons and other buildings, has been successful in obtaining a £4.5 million from the European Regional Development Fund in 2011, and has undertaken a fundraising campaign as part of its 80th anniversary celebrations.  It is an exciting time for DZG, and the efforts that its staff have made in recent years are clearly visible.

DZG plans to house animals as appropriately as possible to improve their welfare.  This includes steps to ensure that smaller species are housed in enclosures that once housed much larger animals, so that the restrictions of the heritage listing is reduced as much as possible.  Where possible, smaller enclosures have been merged to form larger ones, and there is a long list of future improvements planned.  Through the greater use of plants, animals will have greater privacy, whilst balancing the expectations of zoo visitors.

Sarah and I were warmly hosted by Assistant Curator Jay Haywood and Trainee Keeper Josh Luxton, both of whom spent much of their day hosting us.  It should come as little surprise that the highlight for both of us was spending a lengthy time with Chico, father to new calf Luna, and who turned fifteen a few days after our visit.  Chico also did not object to the extra attention that he received - there cannot be many tapirs in zoos that do not enjoy having their stomachs rubbed!

Aside from spoiling a much-loved tapir, we were also able to discuss Dudley Zoo's fantastic support for WTD, and how it can evolve in future years, as well as how DZG can further increase the profile of its tapirs (it already does a pretty decent job with many news stories about them).  Since returning to Australia, I did enjoy seeing that our suggestion for naming Luna was used to great effect!

Both Sarah and I are extremely grateful to Dudley Zoological Gardens - and in particular to Jay and Josh - for the extremely warm welcome we received during our visit, and look forward to closer collaboration in the future between DZG and WTD.

-- Anthony.