Allies for Wildlife: Outside the Box with Hertfordshire Zoo + Dudley Zoo and Castle + West Midlands Safari Park

Welcome to BIAZA Love Your Zoo ‘Allies for Wildlife’ week! Three zoos have been jointly supporting native species and education with an intuitive solution to species decline:

In a show of sustainability and conservation, Hertfordshire Zoo first took flight with its Big Bird Box Build: Sustainably Saving Swifts campaign.

With UK swift populations plummeting by over 50% in the last 30 years due to the loss of traditional nesting sites, the zoo responded with an innovative and educationally empowering solution: building and distributing 254 swift nest boxes to primary schools across Hertfordshire.

What makes this campaign special? These nest boxes were built using recycled timber offcuts from recent zoo habitat developments, namely Sun Bear Heights and Jaguar Jungle, blending sustainability with purpose.

Schools received their boxes alongside engaging, curriculum-linked resources, accessible via QR codes, sparking awareness and action among students.

The project has not only supported swifts but inspired a generation of eco-conscious learners. 

Taking inspiration from Hertfordshire Zoo and their Big Bird Box Build, Dudley Zoo and Castle (DZC) embarked on their own sustainability and conservation project, utilising leftover building materials from their new bush dog habitat. 

With advice and guidance from Chris Eley at Hertfordshire Zoo, they designed their very own box-based conservation education programme with a twist, this time focusing on bats! 

The number of bats in the UK has significantly declined in the last century, and of the eighteen species, nine can be found on DZC's Castle Hill Site. As bats are a hugely underappreciated group of native mammals, the team created the 'Big Bat Box Build' to provide new roosting habitats and raise awareness for bats in the Birmingham and Black Country area. 

Similarly to Hertfordshire, they built their bat boxes using recycled timber offcuts from the building of new zoo habitats, with an added twist. DZC enlisted the help of level 1, 2, and 3 animal care students from nearby Kidderminster College, who study at West Midlands Safari Park. 

This not only provided the opportunity for students to complete a portion of their course but also gave them the chance for future employer involvement. The learners were also given two bespoke workshops focused on bat conservation and how they could further get involved, with every student pledging to do something to support native bat populations. 

The students built over 50 bat boxes! These are now being delivered to schools across the Birmingham and Black Country area alongside curriculum-linked resources to educate and inspire the next generation of eco-conscious learners. 

Want to start your own project? 

Five Tips from Hertfordshire Zoo:

1. Think Circular: Reuse materials from your own construction projects.
2. Go Beyond the Box: Pair practical tools with educational content to enhance impact. 
3. Make It a Community Affair: Get schools, local councils, and volunteers involved, it builds ownership and excitement.
4. Measuring Impact: Use QR codes and online tracking tools to keep engagement modern and measurable.
5. Plan for Take-off: Start locally but design your project to scale.

Five Tips for Building Bird Boxes:

1. Choose the Right Design for the Species - Different bird species have specific nesting requirements. For example, swifts prefer deep, enclosed boxes, while robins favour open-fronted designs. Tailoring the box to your target species increases the likelihood of occupancy.
2. Use Safe, Durable Materials - Construct boxes from untreated, weather-resistant wood, such as cedar or marine plywood. Avoid chemically treated timber, as it can be harmful to birds, particularly during the nesting season.
3. Ensure Good Drainage and Shelter - To keep nests dry, include a sloped roof where possible and drill small drainage holes in the base. Joints should be well-sealed to prevent draughts while still allowing some ventilation.
4. Avoid Perches - While they may appear decorative, perches are unnecessary and can aid predators. Most garden birds can enter and exit boxes without assistance.
5. Incorporate an Access Panel for Maintenance - Designing the box with a hinged panel or removable section allows for easy annual cleaning. Regular maintenance helps reduce parasites and improves the box’s longevity and appeal to returning birds.

It's unquestionable that collaborating and sharing knowledge is the key to conservation success. West Midlands Safari Park shares some tips and advice of their own for creating partnerships:

• Be clear with your "whys": it might be that different organisations have different goals or reasons why they are collaborating on a project, this is fine as long as everyone understands each other's objectives from the start so you can plan (and evaluate!) accordingly, so agreeing a brief and measures of success at the start of the project can be helpful.
• Find partners who have complimentary stakeholders to you: different collections have connections with different groups, so this can be hugely beneficial when considering impact and overcoming barriers which might prevent you from conducting the project alone.
• Consider pooling resources: don't be afraid to pair with other organisations that might be a of different size or origin to you, they may have different resources to help you facilitate the project or take it in new directions
• Give it some time: setting deadlines to achieve a project just within your organisation can be a challenge, so when you're trying to align multiple departments across multiple sites, it can get complicated! Build in plenty of contingency time so you've managed expectations ahead from the off.
• Never underestimate the power of a coffee chat: attending regional and national network meetings is fantastic, not just for watching speakers or following set workshops, but sometimes it's the informal interactions that spark ideas. Don't be afraid to reach out to other collections, everyone is busy but if you can see the potential of a project, it's worth being persistent in getting that meeting in the diary!