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CROCODOPOLIS world of crocodilians TM SCIENCE · CULTURE · INDUSTRY · NEWS · COMMUNICATION · CONSERVATION
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NEWS
February 7, 2007 Croc conservation group
Readies upcoming fundraiser The
Tomistoma Task Force, the international non-profit organization charged
with leading conservation efforts to save the Malayan Gharial (Tomistoma
schlegelii), is finalizing plans for its “A Night for the Crocs”
benefit dinner to take place February 24 at 4:30 pm, at Miami Metrozoo,
and is inviting more interested persons to join the event. The
evening’s special guest, National Geographic’s Dr. Brady
Barr, will be presenting a multi-media program highlighting his recent
experience in Borneo where he became one of only a handful of scientists
ever to record measurements and other data from a wild Tomistoma. The
Tomistoma, also known as the False Gharial, is a very
large and very secretive, slender-snouted crocodilian from Borneo,
Sumatra and the Malayan peninsula.
Crocodilian enthusiasts, reptile keepers, zoo curators and other supporters will be coming to the event from many parts of the world. Crocodilian biologists from south Florida and from around the state will be in attendance, and other crocodile specialists will be traveling to the event from Europe and as from as far away as Thailand. This is expected to make the event a special meeting for experienced crocodilian professionals, and also an opportunity for young students and other members of the community to learn more about crocodile conservation.
A donation, US$30.00
(US$20.00 for kids under 12) includes complete Caribbean style
dinner and full day of admission to the zoo. Tickets for the gala may be
purchased online, and those ordered after February 16 may be picked up
the event. Seating for the event is limited, and admissions will be sold
at the door only if available.
Tickets are also
available at the office of the Zoological Society of Florida, located at
the Miami Metrozoo. The Society office may be reached at (305) 255-5551. “We hope
the Miami community will support this event,” said TTF Regional
Chairman Bruce Shwedick, one of the evening’s organizers, “and that
“A Night for the Crocs” will make it possible for the CSG’s
Tomistoma Task Force to continue to undertake scientific investigations
into the status of the remaining populations of wild Tomistoma and the
unique Asian peat swamp forests it inhabits.”
He
added, “These studies make it possible to identify key habitats
necessary for the continued survival of this unique crocodilian species
and also help create both the local community and national support
needed for their protection.”
“”A Night
for the Crocs” is also a night for the people that care about wild
creatures and wild places.”
Barr
has not only a unique perspective from which to discuss Tomistoma, his
travels as National Geographic’s resident herpetologist and
host of television programs such as SuperCroc, Reptile Wild
and Dangerous Encounters, have taken him to more than 50
countries. Few biologists have had the opportunity to observe wild
crocodilians in so many different regions of the world. Guests
attending the event will have a chance to meet Brady in person, to chat
with him and many other members of the IUCN/SSC Crocodile Specialist
Group and to learn first-hand about crocodilian natural history, science
and conservation. Those
in attendance will also have a chance to hold a baby alligator and to
meet “Pip,” one of only a few Tomistoma ever hatched in the United
States. Born in 1999 at Cypress Gardens in Florida, Pip has become an
important part of the TTF’s conservation fundraising projects in the
United States. He has appeared at events throughout the state of Florida
and was a focal point of a yearlong temporary Tomistoma exhibit at the
Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science in Center. A
professional photographer will be on hand at the event for guests to get
a very special photographic souvenir with Pip and at the same time
support conservation of this endangered species.
Guests
will also have a chance to bid on several unique crocodile experiences
at the evening’s charity auction. These include a “Behind the
Scenes” curator’s tour of the Miami Metrozoo, which will include an
encounter with Pip’s 12 ft/3.7m-long dad and 10 ft/3m -long mother. Other
auction items include everglades tours led by crocodile biologists, a
reptile assembly program for your school, a dinner with Dr. Barr, and
also field trip with him.
For
those interested in being
an event sponsor, contact Shwedick: shwedick@aol.com;
to donate herpetological or zoo related items for the auction contact
Steve Conners: sconner@miamidade.gov;
for travel and hotel information contact Joe Wasilewski at jawnatsel@bellsouth.net;
for directions to the zoo, visit http://www.miamimetrozoo.com/ To
learn more about the TTF, you may visit the organization’s website, http://www.tomistoma.org. This report is based on a press release issued by the Tomistoma Task Force. ^ BACK TO TOP
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Wild Malayan Gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii). (Photo: F. Wayne King/Crocodile Specialist Group.)
Herpetologist Brady Barr, with juvenile Malayan Gharial. (Photo: Courtesy of Tomistoma Task Force.)
Several of these rare, collectable Tomistoma gold coins, sealed in a decorative sleeve, will be auctioned at the charity event. The coins were donated by Crocodopolis.
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