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| Wednesday, 11 August 2004 |
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Dr. Harald Schwammer, Director of the Schoenbrunner Zoo in Vienna and his wife Gaby Schwammer are on a visit to Sri Lanka. On August 6 they held a Workshop at the Dehiwela Zoo at the invitation of Jayantha Jayewardene, the Managing Trustee of Biodiversity and Elephant Conservation Trust. The Director of National Zoological Gardens, Brigadier H.A.N.T. Perera, opened the workshop. Dr Schwammer spoke on Recent Research Results in African Elephants and Mrs. Schwammer spoke on Educational Messages from Modern Zoos. Dr. Schwammer has a wide knowledge of veterinary practice especially pertaining to the healthcare and captive breeding of elephants. He has successfully bread several endangered species at the Vienna Zoo. The workshop was attended by veterinarians from the Department of Wildlife Conservation, National Zoological gardens and the Pinnawela Orphanage. Veterinary students from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Peradeniya University and the Kelaniya University also attended the Workshop. Leading them was Dr. Ashoka Dangolla from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Schwammer after dealing with new research findings discussed concerns of elephants in both wild and captive situations. He dealt with captive breeding, both natural and artificially inseminated. He also discussed the behaviour of domestic elephants compared to wild elephants. he also detailed the research he was engaged in Kenya with Cynthia Moss and Iain Douglas Hamiltion, Dr. Schwammer offered to help our National Zoo in any way possible. Dr. Schwammer has visited Sri lanka previously and conducted training workshops on elephant management and healthcare for veterinarians at the Dehiwela Zoo and at the Elephant Orphanage at Pinnawela. Mrs. Schwammer, who is a zoo education officer, describing the various programmes conducted by the Vienna Zoo also mentioned the importance of zoo education. She emphasised the importance of awareness creation and the education of the public, which programmes should be directed at children as well as adults. She also mentioned that as much as it was the responsibility of zoos, the NGOs too play a big role in these areas and should join the zoos to strengthen such programmes. During his stay here Dr. Schwammer will visit the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage and also medically examine the elephants at Dalada Maligawa. |
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