Ann Turner

Ann Turner started the Mabula Ground Hornbill Project 10 years ago in April 1999. The goal of the project and Ann's ten-year passion and single-minded determination has been the conservation of Southern Ground Hornbills in South Africa. Ann has definitely championed the ground hornbill's cause and central to this has been the involvement of captive facilities both locally and abroad since the projects inception. Zoos provided valuable knowledge and experience and Ann had the foresight to see how important they would be in conserving this endangered species. This led to a fruitful relationship over the years with zoos from all over the world. Starting with the project hosting hand-rearer's from San Diego Zoo who trained Mabula staff to hand-rear these difficult chicks and later with the involvement of other overseas zoos that visited the project every year to help with and learn how to rear ground hornbill chicks. This programme reaped just reward after 10 years hard work when in October 2008, an egg was laid in an artificial nest erected on Mabula game reserve. This chick named Jac was successfully reared and when he fledged in March 2009 became the first Ground hornbill chick to be bred and reared by a re-introduced, free roaming group, with an alpha hand-reared female. Ann has also been instrumental in setting up a captive breeding and hand-rearing committee in South Africa which consists of members from a number of zoos and private collections, who meet about twice a year to discuss and improve on the husbandry of this species with the goal of establishing a large enough captive population of founders by encouraging pairs in captivity to breed. Ann has devoted the last ten years of year life to a cause she believes in with all her heart - the conservation of this enigmatic species. In recognition of this tireless service, the African Association of Zoos and Aquaria have determined this to be a significant African conservation project and proudly confer the PAAZAB Conservation Award upon Ann Turner.

DAVE MORGAN
Executive Director
CONSERVATION AWARD CITATION April 2010 Ann Turner

|    Back    |