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Ocean Park Hong Kong

Ocean Park Conservation Foundation

Suzanne Gendron Executive Director

Foundation Director

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Current Issues • Challenge to connect people with Nature

– Indifference, gadgets, loss of nature • Loss of species at unprecedented rate: 6th

Extinction Crisis • Increasingly difficult to obtain animals from a

sustainable source • Increasingly difficult to obtain feed from a

sustainable source • Increased activists noise in the social market

– Declining favourability of zoos and aquariums when we are more important than ever.

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Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)

•Non-profit organisation based in the USA •AZA is committed to providing the highest quality member services to advance the zoo and aquarium movement. AZA is also committed to being a global leader in promoting species conservation and animal welfare by leveraging the size, scope, expertise, and public trust of its member institutions. •Currently 231 AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums

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• First zoological facility in Asia to achieve AZA accreditation (2002, 2008, 2013) and Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks & Aquariums accreditation (2003, 2008, 2013)

o Highest standards of excellence in animal care, education and conservation, animal science, recreation, finance, safety and governance

• Institutional member of World Association of Zoos and

Aquariums (2005 – present)

International Standard for a Zoological Facility

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Ocean Park Background

•Established in 1977 as a not-for-profit organisation and later became an independent statutory body in 1987;

•Located in Aberdeen, on the South side of Hong Kong Island (915,000 m2)

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Vision

Ocean Park Corporation, with focus on education, conservation and entertainment, will be the world’s best resort and theme park, providing excellent guest experiences through the thrill of discovery, while connecting people to nature.

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Mission Statement

Ocean Park Corporation is committed to providing all guests with memorable experiences that are fun, entertaining, and educational within our resort and theme park, while promoting life-long learning and conservation advocacy. Our aim is to maintain a healthy financial status, be an employer of choice, while serving our community with the highest standards of safety, animal care, products and guest service.

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Connecting People with Nature

through Excellence in

Education, Exhibits & Animal Care whilst

Preserving Biodiversity through Conservation

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To inspire appreciation for nature and positive conservation actions by providing informative, engaging experiences through our animal exhibits, presentations and educational programmes. Ocean Park ~ Connecting People with Nature

Sustainability is the key

Education Mandate

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Education strategy

Positive & Engaging

Messaging

Promoting a Passion for

Life

Advocating for

Sustainable behaviours

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1. Grand Aquarium - Oceans and humans are intimately connected • Support sustainable seafood

Animal Exhibits: Promoting Conservation Waterfront

2. HKJC Sichuan Treasures - Sharing the Heavenly Sichuan – Golden Monkey and Giant Panda Living in Harmony • Avoid the consumption on unsustainable product

and conserve forest

3. Amazing Asian Animals - Living in harmony with nature; Asia possesses many treasures • Wisely use resources from forests; reduce

consumption of unsustainable products

4. Adventures in Australia - Lifestyles Of Health And Sustainability • Adopt a simple and environmentally friendly lifestyle

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1. Sea Jelly Spectacular - Sea jelly is an ocean dancer • Reduce use of plastic

Animal Exhibits: Promoting Conservation Summit

2. Chinese Sturgeon Aquarium - Yangtze River Exploration - Chinese Treasure, Chinese Sturgeon • Small changes in our daily lives will preserve our

precious water

3. Ocean Theatre - Appreciation of Dolphins – we can do our part to help cetaceans in need • Reduce Marine Debris ~ Bring your own bottle!

4. Marine Mammal Breeding and Research Center - Ocean Park dedicated to conserve bottlenose dolphin through continuous research efforts • Be a responsible eco-tourist and keeping the ocean

clean

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5. Shark Mystique - Sharks are very important to the health of our ocean • No Shark Fin!

Animal Exhibits: Promoting Conservation Summit

6. Pacific Pier - Life of pinnipeds in southern California • Reduce Marine Debris ~ Keep our ocean clean!

7. Rainforest - Diversity and Ecological Connection – A Web of Life • Wisely use resources from forests; reduce consumption of unsustainable products and choose Forest Stewardship Council® (FSCTM) products

8. Polar Adventure - Global Connections – our actions affect the Poles • Conservation of energy & utilitarian use of resources

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Passive, Interactive, Personal

Informal Learning: Exhibit Graphics and Interpretives

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Ocean Theatre: • Be a responsible eco-tourist when you

visit animals in the wild • Treat your waste properly so it will not

end up in the ocean Whiskers Theatre: • Reduce, Reuse & Recycle

Bird Theatre: • Wisely use of forest resources

Polar Adventure: Live a low carbon lifestyle

Otter Talk: • Conserve water ~ limit

your shower time to 5 min.

Informal Learning: Animal Presentations

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Behind-the-Scenes Tours Animal Meet-and-Greet

Public Engagement: Attendance Driven Programmes

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24,750pax (2015/16)

Public Engagement: Revenue Driven Programmes Upcharge revenue center Seasonal Camps

1,003 pax (2015/16)

Animal Encounters & Keepers Programmes

Corporate Training Programme Nighttime at the Ocean’s Depth

337 pax (2015/16)

3,659pax (2015/16)

My Animal Fun Time Education

Programme

345 pax (2015/16)

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Project-based Learning (PBL) •To develop students’ enthusiasm for conservation •Set topic → Decide data collection methods & tools → Field study at Ocean Park → Report and presentation (match with the project-based learning requirement in the curriculum) Special admission rate for student groups •Visit the Park according to teachers’ plan Outreach Seminars •Conservation and career planning seminars for primary and secondary schools

367 pax (2015/16)

12,298pax (2015/16)

Student Engagement:

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Kindergarten

Junior Secondary School

• Over 846,000 students have participated in our education programmes since its inception in 1992. 49,131 students in 2015/2016.

Junior Primary School

Senior Secondary School

Senior Primary School

Teacher Training

18,689pax (41%)

16,973pax (38%)

4,255pax (10%)

4,501pax (10%) 304pax

Student Engagement:

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Three key messages • Promoting debris free oceans • Sustaining our consumption • Promoting biodiversity

Through exhibits…

Through providing opportunities for actions…

Through presentation and programmes…

Through OPCFHK Public Awareness Campaigns…

Through external collaborations…

Community Engagement: Blue Matters Campaign

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Connecting People with Nature through

Excellence Conservation

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• Ocean Park veterinary team provides veterinary assistance and support to both international and regional zoos/oceanariums, rescue centers and NGO whenever requested

Regional Programmes – Veterinary treatment and animal handling

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• Ocean Park veterinary team also provides veterinary assistance, technical advice and training to regional conservation projects

e.g. Masterplan development and training workshops for the Dujiangyan Disease Control and Prevention Center for Giant Panda, conservation workshop for Rafetus swinhoei in Vietnam, assistance to Katala Foundation in Palawan treating 4000 rescued critically endangered Philippines Forest Turtle (S. leytensis), veterinary work with Yangtze Finless Porpoise at the Institute of Hydrobiology Wuhan

Regional Programmes – Veterinary treatment and animal handling

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• Ocean Park veterinary teams actively provide lectures and training in regional workshops and conferences

– South East Asian Zoological Association (SEAZA) veterinary training workshops

– Asian Society of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine (ASZWM) conferences – Marine Mammal Stranding Workshops (e.g. Philippines, Bali, China) – IMATA Regional Workshop in Chengdu (May 2016)

Regional Programmes – Capacity building: veterinary care

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• Our Animal Behaviour and Training Manager visited and provided training in the following zoos and aquariums on animal training and welfare in the last 6 years:

– Shenzhen Wildlife Zoo, China – Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo, China – Hangzhou Zoo, China – Chengdu Zoo, China – IACM Macao, Macau – Shanghai Zoo, China – Shanghai ChangFeng Ocean World, China – LaoHuTan Ocean Park, China – Shenfeng Ocean World Co., Ltd, China – Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Regional Responsibilities – Capacity building: animal training

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Safeguarding Animals From Extinction

Ocean Park SAFE (Safeguarding Animals From Extinction ) •Initiate by Ocean Park with 10 selected local species

Giant panda Golden monkey Blue-crowned laughingthrush

HK Newt Sea turtle

Horseshoe crab Hammerhead Shark

Chinese white dolphin

Coral

Seahorse

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Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, Hong Kong

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Vision We envision a world where Asian wildlife remains biologically diverse under the stewardship of humans, corporations and governments.

Mission We are committed to advocating, facilitating and participating in effective

conservation of Asian wildlife, with an emphasis on Chinese white dolphins and giant pandas, as well as their habitats. This will be achieved through partnerships, fundraising, research and education.

A charitable trust since 1995

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• 58.1% funding from Ocean Park • Organised charity events to raise funds for special

causes • Organised signature event - Run For Survival to

fundraise and engage the public in marine and biodiversity conservation

• Connected corporate sponsors with conservation research and local efforts

• Collaborated with private sectors to raise fund and awareness

• Launched Friends of the Foundation to recruit long-term supporters of conservation

• Deployed donation boxes and Octopus donation devices inside Ocean Park

Fundraising Efforts

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OPCFHK has allocated over $58 million on over 400 scientific researches since 2005

Regional Efforts Scientific Research

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Spent over $15 million in eight financial years on

• Sponsoring emergency relief equipment

• Rebuilding facilities

• Restoring panda habitats

• Supporting conservation projects Rebuilding bamboo seedlings in Wolong with sponsor

Study Tour for 22 Wolong delegates in HK on sustainable development Participated in the education facilities

and programme design for the Giant Panda Conservation and Disease Control Centre in Dujiangyan

Donated 100 digital cameras to facilitate 4th national survey on giant pandas

Regional Efforts Earthquake Rebuilding for Panda Reserves

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• Set up the network and maintained official website www.seammsn.org • Trained 67 participants in 1st symposium & workshop in the Philippines in 2013 • Trained 88 participants in two workshops in Indonesia in 2013 • Trained 80 participants in Xiamen in 2015

Regional Efforts South East Asia Marine Mammal Stranding Network

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Regional Efforts Chinese White Dolphin Population Viability Analysis Workshop

• IUCN experts as Steering Committee, CBSG experts as facilitators • Population and Habitat Viability Assessment Workshop in Jan 2017 • Chinese White Dolphin Conservation and Research Framework for Pearl

River Estuary as end product

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The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Marine Science Laboratory)

Sea Jelly Conservation and Breeding Research

• Ocean Park will provide sea jelly specimen to CUHK to develop a database for DNA and RNA analysis and research

• Knowledge and technical exchange

The University of Hong Kong (SWIMS) Local coral research

• Coral genetic biodiversity research • Knowledge and technical exchange

City University of Hong Kong (School of Veterinary Medicine)

• Assisting with laboratory set up and workshops • The vet courses have not started yet

Collaboration: Universities

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Sea Turtle Rehab and Release • Treated 41 sea turtles, released 23 sea turtles together with AFCD

Marine Mammal Stranding

Collaboration: Government Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department

Monkey survey and contraceptive programme

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Horseshoe crab rearing programme and population survey of juveniles

Seahorse survey and tagging project

Collaboration: Community

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• Annual Conservation Day (3rd Saturday in March)

• Horseshoe crab juvenile rearing programme with CityU: 2,700+ secondary students from 84 schools joined since 2010, with over 1,200 juveniles released.

• University Student Sponsorship Programme in Wildlife Conservation: sponsored 281 students to 121 field trips in 11 years.

• Panda Action: sponsored 44 education & communications students to China & engaged them in giant panda conservation efforts

Public Engagement: Community Education

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THANK YOU!