News Archive 2007
October 31, 2007 - JoAnne Names the Owl
At the October 18th fundraiser at the Mountain View Visitor Centre, JoAnne Perrel won the draw to name our first female spotted owl. She has chosen Athena. JoAnne said, " In the mythology of ancient Greece, the owl was the symbol adopted by Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom. As a result, the owl was protected and was considered the guardian of the Acropolis. In ancient Athens the owl was prevalent in their society and the silver four-drachma coin bore the image of the owl. It seems only fitting that our first female Northern Spotted Owl be called Athena." The keepers agreed, and we made it so.
October 18, 2007 - Northern Spotted Owl Information Session and Fundraiser
Over 50 enthusiastic supporters came out to the Visitor Centre to learn about the plight of the Northern Spotted Owl and the role that Mountain View Conservation Centre is playing in their planned recovery.
Chris Hart and Lauren Meads, two of the Keepers at Mountain View intimately involved in the Captive Management of our newest residents, the Northern Spotted Owl, presented information to the audience on the natural history of the Northern Spotted Owl; the Captive Management program that Mountain View is undertaking with the support of government agencies; and the activities involved with building the quarantine area, breeding facility and flyway for the owls at Mountain View.
The Gift Shop has stocked the cutest plush owls to help raise money for the Owls Project. Nineteen owls were sold during the evening with a minimum donation of $10. "Many of our guests this evening purchased the owls with a generous donation to our project, far exceeding the minimum price," commented Barb Flink, Visitor Centre Co-ordinator. The highlight of the evening was the draw to name one of the owls. For the $10 entry fee, each guest's name was entered into the draw to "Name the Owl". The lucky winner was JoAnne Perrel.
The evening raised over $700.00 for the Owls Project and was extremely well received by all the guests. Special thanks to Dutchman's Caterers for supplying the very tasty appetizers for the evening.
October 8, 2007
Five Adult marmots arrive for breeding
Mountain View is receiving five adult marmots to pair with our single adult marmots which nearly triples our breeding pairs for next year. We produced 11 pups this spring, six of which leave this month for Mount Washington in preparation for their release next summer.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE about marmots »
October 7, 2007
Wildlife Conservation Network Expo
Renee Bumpus, Manager Carnivores and Primates, was a speaker at this years WCN Expo in San Francisco. Ms. Bumpus was reporting on Mountain View's continuing success in the African Painted Dog Project at the centre.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE about Painted Dog Project»
September 9, 2007 - Northern Spotted Owls Arrive at Mountain View
The Northern Spotted Owl is our latest conservation project. In July, the B.C. government asked Mountain View Conservation Centre to participate in the world's first captive breeding program for this highly endangered bird. The population of the Northern Spotted Owl has dropped to as few as 19 left in the wild.
At the end of July, Mountain View received it's first wild caught male owl from the Boston Bar, B.C. area. By mid September we expect to receive a female from Hope B.C.
Mountain View has forged ahead, having built and completed seven quarantine facilities in preparation to receive the Spotted Owls. The centre has also set aside a parcel of land where a new breeding facility and flyway is currently under construction. The completion of the facility is projected for the end of October or first week of November 2007. Our facility will be designed to accommodate nine breeding pairs or 18 individual birds. The breeding program will take several years to build into a viable population at which time the owls will begin to be released back into the wild. Mountain View is very proud to be the custodians of these magnificent birds.
September 1, 2007
SAki Monkeys Have a New Home
Our 3 Saki Monkeys moved into their new home beside the Visitor Centre and are looking very pleased with their new digs. Members are encouraged to stop by the Centre for a visit, they are right before the main gate so you don't need a tour ticket.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE about Saki Monkeys »
August 30, 2007
New Births at a record high in 2007
Mountain View has had a great breeding year. We have new babies everywhere. Some thanks must be given to mother nature for providing such a cold and snowy winter.
CLICK HERE FOR a list of births»
August 28, 2007
Youth Conservation Camps this fall
For students between the ages of 7 to 13, we are running 2 half day conservation camps on September 22 and October 20, 2007. Become a Junior Conservationist and learn about endangered species conservation in Canada.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE about our events»
Summer Fundraising Success
August 15, 2007
The VERY BERRY COUNTRY FAIR was the scene of a BBQ and silent auction to raise funds for Mountain View. Thank you to Fort Wine Company and JD Turkey for their generous contributions to Mountain View Conservation Society. It was a great event and all the money raised was donated to help with the local and international re-introduction programs.
Paws and Claws Benefit
August 1st, 2007
The cozy Ginger 62 lounge in Vancouver was the site of the Paws and Claws Benefit to raise money for two worthy causes; Mountain View's Painted Dog Project and volunteer, Carly Sponarski's, wolf conservation research efforts in Calgary. Guests participated in a silent auction that included great prizes such as Tim King's 10 week animal photography course, round trip seaplane ride from Langley to Victoria with a two day car rental; paintings and prints by Natalie green and Daniel Taylor, and Mountain View prize packages. Our own Renee Bumpus, Manager Carnivores and Primates won the big prize of a champagne hot air balloon ride for two. The event raised $2500 and was a great evening of drinks and laughs in support of these 2 great causes, our dogs and Carly's passion to save the wolves.
April 2007 - Abyssinian Ground Hornbill Profile
Hannah, an Abyssinian or Northern Ground Hornbill is one of our two ground hornbills at Mountain View. She is part of the Global Breeding Program and is one of the most genetically valuable birds in the captive population.
Currently, the staff at Mountain View are encouraging Hannah, who is still quite young, to produce chicks by staying on her nest longer when eggs are laid. Most Abyssinian Ground Hornbills lay two eggs at a time with only one developing into a chick. Nests are typically stumps on the ground and here at Mountain View a special nest was developed consisting of a low hut filled with sand. These unique birds make a deep drumming vocalization in order to communicate and use their beaks to spar with each other as a courting ritual. Males and females can be told apart by the colour variations on the throat sac. Males have red colouring while females have blue. Both sexes have beautiful long eyelashes to protect their eyes.
Hannah is fed a carnivore diet as ground hornbills are both carnivores and scavengers. Hannah is particularly friendly and enjoys her interactions with the keepers. She will play with shoelaces, make next offerings and follow keepers about the enclosure. Keeper Renee Bumpus explains that once Hannah hears anyone approaching, she will quickly find something to offer with her beak for the guest to enjoy. Hannah is also very forward as she will attempt to stick her beak into the boots of her guests or sneak off with tools or cleaning supplies. When she wants to be heard, she will crate a ruckus using her beak on the wood to gain attention. Commending but not aggressive, Hannah is one bird not to be missed! Book a tour soon and meet her yourself.
April 2007: Ring-Tailed Lemur Researcher Visit
Esteemed researcher, Dr. Lisa Gould, Professor in the department of Anthropology at the University of Victoria, recently visited Mountain View Conservation Centre. Dr. Gould, who has spent 20 years studying the ring-tailed lemurs of Madagascar, will be working with primate keepers here at the Centre to discuss possible future projects in Madagascar. In addition to the ring-tailed lemur, Mountain View actually houses 4 animals from Madagascar including the red fronted lemur, red ruffed lemur, black lemur, and the fossa.
Dr. Gould is conducting new research in the scrub and spiny forest of Madagascar with the focus on understanding how habitat and group size influences nutrition, feeding ecology and anti-predator strategies. In addition, she is interested in how habitat variability may affect survival and reproductive success in ring-tailed lemurs. At Mountain View we are interested in working with Dr. Gould to compare captive and wild ring-tailed lemurs in order to further understand what can be done to better prepare captive lemurs for reintroduction to the wild. Mountain View is also interested in supporting local community based conservation projects in Madagascar to ensure local support is gained before any animals are re-introduced to the wild.
Dr. Gould's recent publications include Lemuriformes: Malagasy Primates in the 21st Century in Primates in Perspective. Dr. Gould will also be a guest lecturer at Mountain View discussing lemur nutrition in the spiny forests of Madagascar.
April 2007: Pavlov's Lemurs?
Although famed Nobel Prize winner Ivan Pavlov is not a keeper here at Mountain View Conservation Centre, his techniques are still in use. Keepers Chris Hart, Marguerite Sans, Lauren Meads and Renee Bumpus have started a project that uses a complex system of signals and rewards to communicate with both the lemurs and rhino.
The process of conditioning is slow and time consuming but leads to multiple benefits. For example, by training the animals to respond naturally to certain commands, the keepers have a much easier time in attending the animals and no longer have to handle them directly to ensure their cooperation. This is very important as it allows the animals to feel less stress while in a captive setting The training involves teaching the animals to come towards the keepers rather than being tracked down; stationing animals in order to ensure they enjoy all parts of their enclosure; opening the mouth so oral medications can be administered and teaching the animals to expose limbs for inspection ( as you can imagine, it's not an easy task to raise a rhino's leg without its cooperation).
Of course, the training is not meant at all to tame the animals but is, in fact, a beneficial tool in stress management. It also provides stimulation and enrichment for the animals, as interaction with the keeper now becomes a challenge. The ring-tailed lemurs and Ivan the Rhino are already quickly learning. Keeper Kevin Bowen and Marguerite Sans are starting a blood collection project with the tapirs that will make medical and condition checks in the future much easier.
February 2007 - Tri-Event Marathon and Walk Raises Funds for Mountain View
An enthusiastic horde of almost 1,500 ran through the trails at Mountain View Conservation Centre on February 18, 2007. Not the normal kind of horde you expect to find here at Mountain View as this group consisted of humans and not animals!
The Second Annual Historic Half Marathon and 10k Race started in Fort Langley and wound its way over to Mountain View. As they passed through, runners and walkers had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of various endangered animals such as emus, ostriches, and even Ivan the Rhino. This year, the marathon and walk raised $5,975 for Mountain View Conservation Centre, which is about five times as much as the previous year! Thank you to everyone for their support and we look forward to next year's event being even bigger.
February 2007 - Volunteer Appreciation Lunch
On February 18th, after the Second Annual Historic Half Marathon and 10k Race, we hosted a special event for our volunteers here at the Visitor Centre at Mountain View. The food included croissants filled with candied salmon, scrambled eggs and aged cheddar, as well as roasted potatoes, fresh fruit, coffee, tea, and orange juice. Our Volunteer Coordinator, Barb Fink, prepared the spread and she included her special chocolate covered strawberries to cap the meal!
The staff also joined us and informed the volunteers about upcoming and current project here at Mountain View Conservation Centre. Speakers included Chris Hart, Andrea Gielens, Marguerite Sans and Renee Bumpus. Tim King made a special presentation about a recent project in Senegal where six addax were recently re-introduced from Mountain View.
Not only did we get to enjoy a delicious brunch but also learn just a little bit more about the animals and exciting projects going on at Mountain View. We look forward to our next event and hope more volunteers will attend in the future.
January 2007 - Staff Update
We welcome a few new staff members. Lauren Meads has been hired as a full time carnivore keeper as of February 1st, 2007. Kristen Van Dam is now a part time employee, working with hoofstock and lastly, Dalma Batkay has recently returned from maternity leave to art as a relief keeper.
January 2007 - Gift Shop Carrying Plush Figures
In a campaign to help support conservation of two local species at risk, Mountain View Gift Shop will now be carrying plush figures of both the Costal Giant Salamander, found in just one drainage basin in the Chilliwack River Valley; and the Pacific Water Shrew, found throughout the lower mainland but declining rapidly. Help us bring these endangered species back from the brink of extinction by buying tour plush toy today!
January 2007 - Oktoberfest Donation
Mountain View was chosen as the recipient of Fort Langley's Annual Oktoberfest fundraiser. This event, hosted by Fort Langley and Freybe Gormet Foods was held at the Fort Langley Community Hall and included entertainment by Wall Street, prices for best Halloween costumes, a live auction, a 50/50 draw, and a delicious Freybe buffet. It was a fun and entertaining evening for everyone. Mountain View was presented with a cheque for $8,500 which we are most grateful and thank Fort Langley and Freybe Gourmet Foods for their generosity and all their hard work in putting on this exciting event.