idle musings

Normally when I am reading my f-list on LJ, when I get to entries I have already read, I stop. Today, I kept skimming entries and I clicked on one in the Vancouver community. It was someone looking to volunteer at the Vancouver Zoo, and I had already commented by saying that the zoo has a terrible reputation and no one should give it time or money, in the hopes that it will close down. One of the last comments contained this link.

Mountain View – Wildlife Conservation and Breeding Centre

Their philosophy:

Mountain View believes its mission is to preserve endangered species from around the world, build them into thriving family units and return them to their native habitat. These are not our animals. They are the precious treasures of other lands that are in our care. Our goal is to return them to their homeland.

The key elements of our philosophy and beliefs are:

• We believe that low-stress animal environments consisting of spacious, natural habitat areas and simulated natural feeding results in successful endangered species breeding.
• We believe partnerships with local, national and international conservation organizations lead to the best re-introduction programs.
• We believe that hoofstock animals should be in family groups and mixed species compounds to ensure successful re-introduction.
• We believe endangered species must be re-introduced back to their natural environment in a staged manner.
• We support animal re-introduction programs in conjunction with conservation education programs for local indigenous people.
• We believe public education is essential to ensure endangered species survival.

They ask for a six month commitment from volunteers and right now, with the amount of training that I have to do over the next seven months, I can’t do it. But I am bookmarking this, and as soon as I get back from Trinidad, I am applying to be a volunteer. The idea of helping at a place like this fills me with excitement and gives me something really tangible for the future.