The Golden Bird Foundation
Dr. Harrington started working for Beijing Zoo and Chinese Academy in 2000 as the behaviour and environmental enrichment consultant. The Golden Bird Foundation was then founded in 2005 and run till 2019. Its work continues under the name Elephant in Red, a non for profit organisation in the UK.
It was formed by a group of professionals and volunteers whose goal was to uphold conservation and to save endangered species through education and the promotion of sound animal welfare in captive animals in China and Asia. Our work has recently extended to Brazil and one of our founders lectures in Salford University UK on environmental enrichment. We aim to support ex-situ and in-situ conservation programmes through design, educational initiatives and research in China and internationally. Our most recent project has been an initiative to help Botswana find solutions to over population of elephants through ex-situ support of the in-situ conservation challenge. Brazil and China are offering habitat zones to elephant family groups in designed areas in two of their large zoos.
The Golden Bird Foundation’s mission was to advise and promote animal conservation and animal welfare with a focus on improving and replenishing zoo enclosures through consultation and design guidance and support of rebuilding naturalized exhibits. We upheld sound zoo-keeping practices through teaching enrichment (behavioural, environmental and social) and creating practical solutions through volunteer work, research and education on this subject throughout China and Hong Kong S.A.R. More about the Golden Bird Foundation
In the website
Golden Bird Foundation projects
The Golden Bird Foundation was affiliated with various projects having with ties with multinational corporations, leading zoos, intergovernmental agencies and the foremost academic groups in both China – including groups in Beijing, Nanjing and Suzhou – as well as in the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand. Our intention continues to be to extend our activities across China as well as increase our activity with co-operative activities in Hong Kong and throughout Europe and Australasia.
The foundation now runs as two units the non-for profit elephant-in-red creating behavioural enrichment solutions and works with GWZOODESIGN.COM to build state of the arc natural habitat zones.
Read more about our projects
Seminars
Foundation-run workshops and seminars make up an important part of our activities, providing education and real, hand-on opportunities for volunteers to work in cross-cultural environments to impact animal welfare and deliver change at a personal level. Foundation staff deliver educational seminars to schools, volunteers, corporates, zoos, institutions and academics both in China and abroad. Workshops are run by Foundation staff and by volunteers as well as special guests and visiting specialists in animal conservation and environmental design. For more information about how you and/or your organization can be involved contact carintiger@gmail.com
Building a workshop
Our sponsors and supporters
Historically, a core of key financial supporters have funded the day to day operations of the Foundation with funding coming from Beijing residents, small and large businesses, investment banking relationships, Australian Government agencies, Embassies, Chambers of Commerce, UK Zoos and the Foundations own staff contributions. Additionally, an army of enthusiastic supporters from all over China and Asia have provide countless hours of support with an equally large number of groups providing in-kind contributions and gifts in the form of goods and services. We have had volunteers from businesses and Embassies in Beijing with University students from across China. We welcome any form of support you may be able to provide.
A list of some of our key supporters, to whom we are eternally grateful, are listed in this section – please take a look and contact us if you would like to become a sponsor or supporter.
Read more about our sponsors and supporters
Donations / Fundraising
We need YOUR help! Our projects span grass roots initiatives that cost tens of dollars through to significant multi-stage construction projects with budgets that can involve tens of thousands of dollars.
The funds now go to our account in UK which is non-for-profit and completely transparent, with all funds going towards the animal projects.
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Contact Information
For all general and specific enquiries, to volunteer, donate, please follow the link to see contact lists.
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About the logo
Special mention goes to Linda Snyder of Chevron Texaco who supported many of our projects and helped create the logo. The Foundation is dedicated to “Connie the Condor” and the logo is in the form of the ancient Chinese character of a bird. The tail forms into a G and F. Gold is the colour of success and is the natural progression from Dr Harrington’s Chinese name Gold Dragon.
Connie the Condor ... “May she forever fly high with the wind beneath her wings”
Project creation work undertaken by GBF is dedicated to Connie the Condor (2000-2007)
Connie our condor, is a hero whose legacy will live on through our foundation as we continue to work with animals that need us. Her story is pivotal to our quest to move animals into areas which ensure their comfort and optimal welfare. Dedicating the foundation to her ensures does not become an unsung hero.
60 years old, a magnificent Andean Condor, she lived all her years in a cage 3m squared in a Chinese Zoo. She could not fly and could only just open her wings. But she could dance and pirouette and every day she would dance and click and “play stick” for Dr. Harrington. We made her a promise of a new home where she could exhibit her natural behaviours and we would find her a mate.
This was all in place including the funding and we even found her a partner “Tony” in the Channel Islands and were arranging Tony to join her in her new habitat zone. But sadly, before we could complete our plans Connie suddenly died from a head injury. She became scared one night and flew against the top bars of her small cage.
We decided never to forget her and all our work of the future would be dedicated to her memory and we would save animals in captivity whenever we found them needing us.
The Embassy funded otter. Chinese name NEW STAR. Given pool outer area and a Wife!
The Ark.