Wellington Zoo’s Daniel Warsaw helps Lemurs in Madagascar

Wellington Zoo’s Daniel Warsaw helps Lemurs in Madagascar

Wellington Zoo’s General Manager Business and Partnerships Daniel Warsaw is heading to Madagascar this month, supported by the Wellington Zoo Conservation Fund to work with the Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group (MFG).

The Wellington Zoo Conservation Fund allows staff members to work in field conservation projects in New Zealand and overseas to lend their skills where they’re most needed. Daniel Warsaw is the first Wellington Zoo staff member to travel to Madagascar to work with MFG and will spend three weeks at the project helping with their strategic planning process and supporting the creation of a new business plan.

MFG is an international NGO that brings conservation organisations around the world together to conserve Madagascar’s biodiversity, including the protection of critically endangered Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs, as well as the thousands of other threatened species native to Madagascar.

“Madagascar is a global biodiversity hotspot facing some critical challenges – namely deforestation as a result of slash and burn agriculture, logging and mining” said Daniel. “I’m absolutely delighted to be able to travel there to work with Maya Moore and the team at MFG.”

“This work is a great example of Wellington Zoo's commitment to saving animals in the wild. By contributing our specialised skills to other conservation organisations, we can make a difference for the wild cousins of our Black and White Ruffed Lemurs who live at Wellington Zoo."

Daniel has been recognised for his strategic business skills as a finalist for the IMNZ/Eagle Technology Young Executive of the Year award at the 2015 Deloitte Top 200 Awards, of which the winner will be announced on Thursday 26 November.

Daniel will be blogging about his Madagascar adventures at wellingtonzoo.tumblr.com.

“At Wellington Zoo we are proud to support the Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group through our Conservation Fund. We know our support helps them deliver innovative solutions to tackle the deforestation and hunting that threatens critically endangered Black and White Ruffed Lemurs,” said Daniela Biaggio, Wellington Zoo Conservation Manager.

“Visitors can meet our two Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs, Lucky and Ankari, in a Lemur Close Encounter. This is an amazing opportunity to get up close to these beautiful and charismatic primates – and 10% from every Lemur Close Encounter goes directly to conservation programmes in the wild, like the Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group.”

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