Two awards have been presented to the Greater Vancouver Zoo recognizing the local zoo's conservation efforts from the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA).
For the Taylor's Checkerspot Butterfly Recovery Project, the zoo received the Peter Karsten Award for In-Situ Conservation, named after the former director of the Calgary Zoo and the original vision behind the butterfly project.
"Guided by Karsten's initial efforts and nearly a decade of GVZoo's commitment, the butterfly's complete life cycle was finally observed in the wild for the first time in 25 years," reads a statement on the zoo's website.
"This remarkable achievement underscores the resilience of this endangered species, and the profound impact of collaborative, sustained conservation efforts – a powerful legacy that will continue in every butterfly that takes flight."
In recognition of the zoo's innovative Western Painted Turtle Recovery Program, the Greater Vancouver Zoo was also awarded the Colonel G.D. Dailley Award for Ex-Situ Species Propagation.
Specifically, the award was given for the zoo's successful head-starting approach to re-establishing the endangered species.
The recovery program included groudbreaking medical treatments to reduce Cryptosporidium infection mortality rates from 36 per cent to just two per cent, said Josh Banta, marketing supervisor at the zoo.
"This medical breakthrough was discovered at the zoo and impacts not only critically endangered Western Painted Turtles, but also provides a new way to treat this deadly and infectious disease for turtles of all species," he explained.
Since the program's inception with only 20 turtles in 2011, it has expanded to release more than 250 turtles annually, helping restore populations across eight locations where they were once nearly extinct, reads the statement.
