Conservation Lecture Archives

2019 Lectures

CLS April flyer
giraffe poster 2019
Turtle poster 2019
Scaly poster 2019
spider poster
flamingo flyer8.5x11

This presentation addressed the threats to each species, explained the work of the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program (SOCP) in conserving orangutans in Sumatra and described the SOCP's innovative new Orangutan Haven project in North Sumatra.

The Greenville Zoo hosted Dr. Francois Deacon, a wildlife habitat expert whose research is focused on giraffes in their natural habitat. Dr. Deacon  presented his unique field research project on giraffes that involves their immobilization and collection of biological samples critical for giraffe conservation. For the study, he developed a head harness equipped with a satellite GPS device that led to the collection of data and the description of behavior that has never before been documented. He also talked about giraffe conservation, including their natural history and endangered status.

The Greenville Zoo hosted Kelly Thorvalson, a native of Georgetown, SC and the Conservation Programs Manager at the South Carolina Aquarium. Thorvalson discussed how the South Carolina Aquarium is not only triaging sick and injured sea turtles in the Sea Turtle Care Center but working to mitigate environmental risk factors and help advance sea turtle conservation.

A fascinating look at the creation of an animal and adventure television series by a real family. Pierce, Tanya and Rick Curren presented some of their scaly costars and shared some cool video from their Scaly Adventures TV Series. 

Although a fascination for some, many people fear and hate spiders. Dr. Benson's presentation attempted to allay the fears and misunderstandings surrounding these beautiful creatures, and highlighted their many benefits.

Dr. Dan Hilliard spoke about the Zoo Conservation Outreach Group (ZCOG) and their Chilean Flamingo Monitoring Program. ZCOG is a nonprofit coalition of zoos, aquariums, and related partners dedicated to promoting wildlife and habitat conservation throughout Latin America. ZCOG develops conservation leadership capacity in Latin American zoological institutions and supports a variety of field projects. The Greenville Zoo is a long-standing ZCOG Board member. Learn more about ZCOG at zcog.org.