Our Work

Volunteer

In the beginning Helene Albinger of the Swedish Embassy started our first volunteer group calling it BITE (Beijing International Team of Enrichment) we worked closely with Beijing Normal Universities, the Green Candle group, Roots and Shoots groups and volunteers from the Beijing business world. Helene ran the group and did some fantastic work and now works actively in animal welfare in Singapore.

BITE work continued and we went on to run a group in Nanjing (NITE- National and International Team of Enrichment) formed from the students of Nanjing Normal University, a dedicated group of students also from Nanjing International School and the community of Nanjing Chinese and International. We also had have some seven to ten year olds starting a younger group from the international schools and they made us toys and do painting for canvas beds and created rain forest frescos to hang in the exhibits.

Education and Research

GBF team has overseen master’s students for Bear enrichment, Leopard sent marking and Panda enrichment as well as teaching for extended essays on Macaques. GBF supported the political leaders and directors of Beijing Zoo to travel to Chester UK for technological exchange. The foundation then sponsored the education training programmes for keepers and curators of Beijing Zoo and the project coordinator of GBF to visit in Chester Zoo, Twycross Zoo and Blackpool Zoo. As well as visits to London Zoo, it was arranged for the delegates to visit Monkey world, Lyme Park zoo and Lyme safari park. With Chester Zoo and Paignton Zoo the GBF also supported training for the new Enrichment and Carnivore Curator from Beijing Zoo in Edinburgh.

We hope to fund master’s students on tiger research and elephant research on mirror self recognition and sound systems. We also want to support research into Ape colour preference using he opera masks we designed and painted.

We were honoured to have as our director of research in Beijing is Professor Jiang Zhigang of Chinese Academy of Sciences and in Nanjing Professor Sung,from Nanjing Normal University. Students were encouraged to collect animal behaviour data and also to record events on video. They present their findings at their institutions and to the zoo leaders.

Animal Training

Training is an integral part of sound animal welfare practice and enrichment and training go hand in hand. Animal training reduces stress, reduces aggression and improves socialization thus reducing abnormal behavior. It increases the closeness of the relationship between animal and handler.

With our consultant team we were able to set up training programmes in zoos in China.

Construction of habitat

Help with Enrichment from friends in Chester Zoo.

Beijing Zoo keepers attend enrichment training funded by Golden Bird Foundation.