BIAZA Annual Awards 2020 winners announced

BIAZA is proud to announce the winners of the annual BIAZA awards for 2020, during an unprecedented year for zoos and aquariums.  

The winners showcase a huge range of important and exciting projects worked on by BIAZA zoos and aquariums, and the annoucement comes at an immensely challenging time for these conservation organisations - after months of closures they are fighting to recover from the impacts of the Coronavirus.  

The winning projects cover a range of ten different categories, with awards being announced each week during the month of September via the BIAZA Facebook page.

Winners can be found below:

Animal Husbandry, Care and Breeding Category:

• Belfast Zoo – “François’ Langur: Breeding Success” – BRONZE
• Bristol Zoo Gardens – “Breeding success in a captive born generation of pygmy slow loris” – BRONZE
• Wildwood Trust – “Rehabilitating two rescued European Brown Bears through captive torpor, a natural environment and social integration.” – SILVER
• ZSL London Zoo – “Husbandry advances for tree monitors” – SILVER
• Shaldon Wildlife Trust, Wildplanet Trust – Newquay Zoo, Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens – “Operation Save Our Civets – BIAZA zoos collaborating to conserve an endangered species” – SILVER
• Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust/Chester Zoo – “Development of a novel anaesthesia technique in a critically endangered anuran: Mountain chicken frog (Leptodactylus fallax)” – GOLD
• Twycross Zoo – “An institutional development programme to advance wound management in primates via positive reinforcement training” – GOLD
• Chester Zoo – “A holistic approach to improving Rhinoceros Hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros) care & breeding at Chester zoo.” – GOLD

Behaviour and Welfare Category:

• Wildwood Trust – “Comparing the frequency of stereotypical behaviour in captive brown bears Ursus arctos arctos at the Wildwood Trust.” – BRONZE
• Twycross Zoo – “Zoo keepers develop Qualitative Behaviour Assessment as a welfare assessment tool at Twycross Zoo” – SILVER
• Paradise Wildlife Park – “Utilising Control as a Primary Reinforcer in the Husbandry and Presentation of Raptor Species” – SILVER
• Bristol Zoo Gardens – “CENTROP Improvements” – SILVER
• ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo – “Development of an events monitoring programme” – GOLD
• ZSL London Zoo – “Giving Okapi Okapia johnstoni choice in exhibit utilisation throughout a 24-hour period:  its effect on behaviour, stereotyping and enclosure usage.” – GOLD

Conservation Category:

• Twycross Zoo – “Capacity building and first successful reintroduction of Geoffroy's spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) in Belize” – SILVER
• Chester Zoo – “Nature Reserve at Chester Zoo” – SILVER
• Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, WWT Slimbridge – “Saving the Madagascar pochard” – GOLD
• Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust – “The Agile Frog Project – ensuring the future of a local amphibian species on Jersey” – GOLD

Education Category:

• Belfast Zoo – “Science Behind the Zoo” – BRONZE
• The Deep – “IUCN Red List assessment training for University of Hull” - BRONZE
• Paradise Wildlife Park – “HEART Project” – Bronze
• Wildwood Trust – “Night Tours” – BRONZE
• Yorkshire Wildlife Park – “Employability Day” – SILVER
• RZSS – “Biodiversity (Secondary Lesson)” – SILVER
• Knowsley Safari – “Zoo-scription: Safari Park Health Initiatives” – SILVER
• Twycross Zoo – “Training the next generation of wild animal health professionals” - SILVER
• ZSL London Zoo – “Leonard Cheshire and ZSL 'Can Do' Programmes Collaboration” - SILVER
• Galway Atlantaquaria – “One Small Change” – GOLD
• Blackpool Zoo – “Future Zoo” – GOLD
• Galway Atlantaquaria, Tayto Park, Dublin Zoo, Secret Valley Wildlife Park, Fota Wildlife Park, Oceanworld Dingle – “National STEM Collaboration; working together to promote BIAZA Conservation Education to the Junior Cycle Teachers in Ireland.” – GOLD

Exhibits Category:

• Twycross Zoo – “Return of the Tigers” – BRONZE
• Paradise Wildlife Park – “Lion Pride Lands” – BRONZE
• Shaldon Wildlife Trust – “Margay Enclosure Redevelopment” – BRONZE
• ZSL London Zoo – “Project Blossom” – SILVER
• Woodside Wildlife Park – “Endeavour – A Journey of Discovery” – SILVER
• Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust – “Butterfly Kaleidoscope” – SILVER

Horticulture Category:

• Chester Zoo – “The Plant Project” – GOLD
• ZSL London Zoo – “Land of the Lions Landscaping” – GOLD

Research Category:

• Knowsley Safari – “The Impact of a Safari Educator on School Groups Visiting a Safari Park” – BRONZE
• Bristol Zoo Gardens – “Disease risk assessment and production of a pre-export quarantine protocol for the translocation of European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) pink pigeons (Nesoenas mayeri) to Mauritius” – SILVER
• ZSL London Zoo – “Impacts of UVB provision on serum vitamin D3, pigmentation, growth rates and total body mineral content in Mallorcan midwife toad larvae (Alytes muletensis)” – SILVER
• Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust – “A broad-scale genetic assessment to guide the recovery of the Critically Endangered Bojer’s skink” – GOLD
• ZSL London Zoo – “Amphibian conservation on the roof of Indochina” – GOLD

Sustainability Category:

• Shepreth Wildlife Park – “Cambridge Plastic Pledge” - SILVER
• Tilgate Nature Centre - “Sustainability at Tilgate Nature Centre – STAR (Switch To A Reusable) and Zoostainability” – GOLD

PR, Marketing and Digital Events Category

• Paradise Wildlife Park – “Drive 4 Wildlife” – BRONZE
• Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm – “Christmas Tree Recycling” – BRONZE
• Newquay Zoo, Wild Planet Trust – “From Bear Pits to Anniversary Beer “Then and Now”: NZ50 celebrating Newquay Zoo’s 50th Anniversary May 2019” – BRONZE
• Blackpool Zoo – “Elefest” – SILVER
• Longleat Safari – “Longleat Mobile App” – SILVER
• Jersey Zoo – “Go Wild Gorillas” – GOLD

Professional Capacity Building Category

• Chessington Zoo – “Crisis Management & Emergency Response in Zoos Conference” – BRONZE
• Implementation of a ZIMS training programme to improve perceptions of data and quality of recording - BRONZE
• ZSL Whipsnade Zoo – “Animal records capacity building at two animal rescue centres in Cuc Phuong, Vietnam.” – SILVER
• Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust – “Building in-country capacity for successful callitrichid conservation in Brazil” – SILVER

Outstanding Achievement Award:

• John Partridge
• Jo Limmer

Rising Star Award:

• Beau-Jensen McCubbin

Congratulations to all!