Mowgli Street Food teams up with Chester Zoo to help prevent wildlife extinction


Celebrity chef and TV presenter Nisha Katona commits her much-loved Mowgli restaurant group to protecting endangered species and precious habitats in India and Borneo 

 

The UK’s biggest Indian restaurant chain, Mowgli Street Food, has teamed up with Chester Zoo to prevent wildlife extinction.

The new partnership, which is driven by a shared vision to address the survival challenges facing endangered species, is aiming to protect precious habitats and boost the conservation of elephants in India and orangutans in Borneo.

 Drawing on inspiration from experiences working alongside the zoo’s conservationist in Assam in northeastern India, where vital efforts are already underway to protect species like endangered Asian elephants, Mowgli has committed to supporting wildlife recovery and thriving ecosystems.

 

The restaurant was created with charitable giving central to its values – with the key aims of enriching the lives of its teams and giving back to the communities it serves. The Mowgli Trust was set up in 2018 by Mowgli’s founder, Nisha Katona MBE, to specifically raise funds for local charities by inviting guests to voluntarily add a £1 donation onto their bill. Since the restaurant business opened in 2014, it has gone on to raise over £1.8million for both local and international charities.

Nisha Katona, founder and CEO of Mowgli Street Food, said:


"Mowgli exists to enrich lives in the places she goes. We love that our partnership with Chester Zoo lifts our ambitions from our high street communities and local charities, into the realms of preventing the extinction of species such as magnificent Asian elephants in India and orangutans in Borneo.”


“Together we are proud to be building a sustainable future for our planet and protecting our world's most vulnerable species.”


Wildlife experts are warning of a global extinction crisis with the UN estimating that more than one million species could become extinct in a generation.


In the case of the Asian elephant, recent estimates suggest fewer than 40,000 now remain. The species is listed as endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, threatened by habitat loss, poaching, disease and direct conflict with humans.


Jamie Christon, Chief Executive Officer at Chester Zoo, added:


“Right now we’re facing a global biodiversity crisis. Never before has nature been in need of more help. That’s why we must think outside of the box in order to make a real difference and ensure a greener, more sustainable and brighter future for our planet, both for people and wildlife.


“Unlikely collaborations, such as this one between Chester Zoo and Mowgli Street Food, can really make that difference and bring about positive change. Our new partnership will enable us to further our vital work in places such Assam in India where, for more than a decade, we’ve been working alongside our field conservation partners to successfully protect wild elephants and the people who live alongside them. Through combining our skills, resources and knowledge we can really have an impact on the global effort to protect and restore biodiversity.”

Move over Bambi! A southern pudu, one of the world’s smallest deer species, has been born at Chester Zoo. The tiny animal will only grow to around 18 inches tall.

Tiny deer, measuring just six inches tall, born at Chester Zoo

Meet the baby belonging to one of the world’s smallest species of deer, who was born at Chester Zoo measuring just 6 inches tall  

Weighing only 900 grams at birth, staff at the zoo say the tiny pudu fawn “makes Bambi look huge”

The newborn will only reach 1.5ft (18 inches) in height when fully grown

Precious fawn is part of a conservation breeding programme to protect the species

Chester Zoo has welcomed a rare baby Southern pudu – one of the world’s smallest species of deer.

 The tiny male fawn, named by his keepers as Paolo, weighed less than a bag of sugar (900g) at birth and stood at little over six inches tall – similar in size to a guinea pig. Small mammal experts at the zoo say he will only grow to around 18 inches (1.5ft) tall when fully developed.

 Born to parents Serena and Oden, the baby deer is part of an international conservation breeding programme working to ensure a genetically viable insurance population in zoos to help with the long-term protection of the species.

 Southern pudus are native to rainforest areas in southern Chile and south-western Argentina where they are listed as near-threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), meaning the species could face an uncertain future.

 Conservationists believe the number of pudus in the wild has declined rapidly in recent decades, largely due to loss of its rainforest habitat and illegal poaching.

 Caroline Wright, a pudu keeper at the zoo, said:

 “Pudus are the smallest deer in the world – and so you can just imagine how tiny a new born is. In fact, being similar in size to a guinea pig, Paolo [the zoo’s new arrival] makes even Bambi look huge!

 “But while they may only be tiny and have little legs, they are excellent sprinters. And what they lack in size they make up for in strategy – running in zigzag patterns to help them fend off the interest of less nimble predators.

 “Pudu fawns have distinctive flecks of white fur on their backs to help with their camouflage. These fade as they get older but Paolo, at the young age he is, is very much sporting these for the time being. We’re ever so pleased with his development so far and hopefully he’ll not only help us to put a spotlight on these wonderful animals, but also go on to play his own part in the conservation breeding programme to protect the species.”


 Pudu fact

A male’s antlers only grow to four inches long

A single youngster is born after a gestation of 210 days

The fawn (Paolo) was born on 17/05/2023

Conservationists hatch world’s largest chameleon at Chester Zoo in UK zoo first 

10 rare Parson’s chameleons have hatched at Chester Zoo

It’s the first ever breeding of Parson’s chameleons by a UK zoo

The hatchlings have the longest incubation time of all the world’s reptiles – nearly 600 days

17 eggs are still in incubation as conservationists hope to boost numbers of the highly threatened reptile

The species is the world’s largest chameleon but deforestation in Madagascar is pushing it towards extinction

Zoo staff say skills developed to achieve this rare breeding feat could help save other species

Reptile experts at Chester Zoo have become the first in the UK to successfully breed the world’s largest chameleon.


Staff at the conservation zoo believe it to be the first time ever that the rare Parson’s chameleon has hatched in a UK zoo – according to official records.


So far 10 chameleons have emerged from their eggs, with another 17 still in incubation. Parson’s chameleons currently hold the record for the longest incubation period of any reptile – the process of the eggs being laid and then hatching taking up to around two years.

 

The first of the rare hatchlings arrived measuring just 2cm long and weighing just 1.5 grams following a 569 day incubation period. They will grow to be around 70cm and 800 grams.


Conservationists at the zoo have described the breeding success as a “momentous event” and say that the skills and techniques developed to achieve the breakthrough could potentially help save other species from extinction.


Jay Redbond, Team Manager of reptiles at the zoo, said: “To be the first UK zoo to successfully hatch a clutch of Parson’s chameleons is a momentous and exciting event for the team here – but most importantly it’s a major breakthrough for the species.

“The levels of intricate care and attention to detail provided by team over a number of years to achieve this breeding success has been truly remarkable. We’ve had to carefully replicate the seasonal variations of Madagascar and mimic the exact same conditions these chameleons experience on the island, right here in Chester, and that’s no easy feat. Every slight tweak to temperature and humidity each day and night has been meticulously recorded and, now that we’ve cracked this, we believe we’ll be able to take this information and apply it to help save some of Madagascar’s other threatened reptile species.

“This important clutch of eggs, along with all that we’ve learned along the way, will now help us play a part in preventing the extinction of this incredible species, and many others just like it.”

The Parson’s chameleon population has declined by more than 20% in the last two decades as a result of widespread habitat loss on the island of Madagascar. Its forest home has now become so fragmented that experts believe the reptiles are unlikely to survive without drastic intervention.

Gerardo Garcia, Curator of Lower Vertebrates & Invertebrates, added:

“Our teams are currently on the ground in Madagascar, alongside our partners Madagasikara Voakajy, fighting to protect what’s left of the island’s beautiful forests and the species that call it home. The widespread destruction of the forests on the island has seen more than 90% of its trees cut down for agriculture and logging – taking with it hundreds of precious species that cannot be found anywhere else on Earth, just like the Parson’s chameleon.

“That’s why we need to learn as much as we can, as quickly as we can to help prevent species from becoming extinct. These new hatchlings may be small in stature for now, but their impact will be huge in helping us to accelerate our efforts to save some of Madagascar’s rarest reptiles. The information gathered by our experts will now go on to be shared with other conservation zoos just like ours, kick-starting global efforts to create a safety-net population of these incredible chameleons – and we’re enormously proud to have played a vital role in protecting their future on this planet.” 

Chester Zoo’s reptile experts are recognised globally for their ground-breaking research and discoveries. The team were the first to ever successfully hatch a tuatara, a prehistoric lizard that only lives in one area of New Zealand, after it became extinct everywhere else more than 70 million years ago. The team also discovered in 2006 that female Komodo dragons are capable of virgin births without mating with male dragons, a process known as Parthenogenesis, which was previously unknown to science.

Parson’s chameleon facts:

Scientific name: Calumma parsonii

The first of the ten hatchlings emerged from its egg on 30 June 2022 and nine more in the months following. There are still 17 eggs in incubation.

The Parson’s chameleon is the world’s largest species of chameleon

The species is named in after a British physician named James Parsons, born in 1705

This chameleon captures its prey by shooting out its long, sticky tongue and using it as a suction cup

As with all chameleons, this beautiful species can change colour in response to their surroundings, temperature and when they are in the presence of other chameleons, especially during mating or fighting. Their slow movement and camouflage enable the predators to catch prey off-guard

The population of Parson’s chameleon has declined by 20% in less than two decades

Habitat loss and deforestation from slash-and burn agriculture and logging is the main cause of their decline

Their habitat in Madagascar is so fragmented that the species is now unlikely to be able to survive long-term

Madagascar is the only place on Earth where Parson’s chameleons can be found in the wild

Madagascar is the world’s fourth largest island, home to a vast array of weird and wonderful wildlife that cannot be found anywhere else on the planet

Wildlife charity is renowned for its species-saving work around the globe

Fish in Mexico, rhinos in Africa, snails in Bermuda and orangutans in Borneo among the many animals the zoo is working to save

Critically endangered eastern black rhinos at Chester Zoo – one of hundreds of species conservationists at the zoo are fighting to protect

 

The charity zoo, which last year turned 90 years old, plays a crucial role in preventing extinction with its species-saving work with highly threatened animals and plants.


Currently, the zoo is fighting to protect wildlife at the request of the Spanish, Portuguese and Bermudan governments and is actively working with more than 100 partners in 20 different countries.


The zoo recently received a glowing endorsement from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) - the global authority on the status for the natural world – for the difference it is making.

Jon Paul Rodriguez, Chair of the IUCN’s Species Survival Commission, said:


“As one of the world’s leading conservation-based zoos, Chester Zoo is playing a special role in tackling the global biodiversity crisis.”


The zoo made headlines all around the world for its work to help save a tiny Mexican fish – the tequila splitfin – from extinction. It has also had similar recent successes when it led a mission to return a group of critically endangered Eastern black rhinos, bred in zoos in Europe, to Rwanda; reintroduced thousands of tiny snails, once believed to have disappeared altogether, to Bermuda, and devised an initiative to make the city of Chester the world’s first sustainable palm oil city, as part of a campaign to protect forests and orangutans in Borneo.

 

Jamie Christon, Chester Zoo’s CEO, said:


“Our zoo is having a real impact on conservation. As a major wildlife charity, we’re making a colossal contribution to tackling the global extinction crisis at a time when it’s needed most. 

“The wonderful thing about our charity is our ground-breaking conservation model. When people visit the zoo, not only do they connect with and learn about wildlife and nature, they help us to generate the vital funds needed to tackle some of the world’s most pressing conservation challenges.

“We are fighting extinction through our conservation, education and research work, here at the zoo, across the UK and around the world. This work is only possible because of the success of our pioneering conservation model and we’ve spent £180m supporting this over the last decade. Without the zoo, it’s highly likely that a number of species that we share our planet with would have vanished.” 

As well as generating revenue to plough into its conservation efforts, the zoo continues to grow as a world-renowned centre for scientific research, a conservation academy training more than 400 conservationists a year, a place to engage its two million annual visitors with conservation and a centre for preventing extinction.

The zoo works with more than 3,000 species globally, including 140 international conservation breeding programmes, led by science, which are working to ensure genetically viable safety-net populations of species in leading zoos around the world. It also works with NGOs across the world to transfer the knowledge and skills built up at its site in Chester.

Dr Simon Dowell, the zoo’s Conservation Science Director, added:

“We hear lots about how climate change and habitat loss could push more than one million species to extinction in our lifetime. It’s rather frightening and, at times, may lead to a feeling of hopelessness. What’s important though is that we do have solutions to the biodiversity crisis and there are conservation organisations, such as ours, doing everything we can to halt and reverse the decline.

“Good zoos, with professionally planned science-led conservation at their core, are more relevant to the fight to prevent extinction than ever before. We are in a unique position to provide immaculate levels of care for threatened species, protect and restore wild habitats, foster deep and lasting connections with nature, and inspire the next generation of conservationists.

“Our zoo is a shining example of what real conservation action in the 21st century looks like. We have a vital role to play in securing a future for wildlife on this planet. That’s why we have devised an innovative Conservation Masterplan – an ambitious set of goals for the next 10 years - and our aim now is to do more and more to protect the natural world and prevent extinction.”


Chester Zoo’s global impact on conservation at a glance:

 

·        Chester Zoo works with more than 3,000 species globally, including 140 international animal conservation breeding programmes, led by science, which are working to ensure genetically viable safety-net populations of species in zoos. It is also home to five national plant collections, comprising of more than 1,000 species

·        The zoo’s experts are recognised by governments and NGOs across the world as leaders within the global conservation community. Currently, the zoo is saving species on behalf of the Bermudan, Spanish and Portuguese governments, among others

·        The zoo works with over 100 partners in more than 20 countries to recover threatened wildlife and restore habitats, including orangutans in Bornean rainforests, elephants and tigers in Indian grasslands, lemurs and frogs in Malagasy forests and rare fish in Mexican lakes

·        The zoo’s millions of visitors and huge online communities are part of the educational, scientific and conservation jigsaw, empowering them to be part of solutions for wildlife

·        Every year, the zoo inspires more than 265,000 young people in conservation education programmes

·        The zoo influences policy both in the UK and internationally, forcing governments worldwide to take action to halt the biodiversity crisis.