Apothecary Gallery


Photographic Exhibition and Lecture Series

In conjunction with
The Last Survivors Conservation Project

The Last Survivors: the race to save the last Caribbean mammal species and their habitats



Ridgway's Hawk © Rapheal Arvelo
One of only 300 remaining in the wild

Dominican Wildlife Photographic Exhibition
7th July - 26th August 2010

  • Before humans arrived around 120 species of land mammals (excluding bats) inhabited the Caribbean region
  • Today only around 12% of the land mammal species (excluding bats) survive in the region. The island of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti) is home to just 2 remaining extraordinary mammal species found nowhere else on earth: The Hutia and The Solenodon
  • The main and increasing issues affecting the survival of these unique creatures are deforestation, invasive alien species and environmental contamination.
  • The race is on to confront this conservation crisis and although the challenge is great there is still time to save the last survivors.
  • A collaborative project funded by the UK government Darwin Initiative has brought together UK (Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and Zoological Society of London) and Dominican Republic (Hispaniolan Ornithological Society and Dominican Republic National Zoo) organisations to face this challenge on the Island of Hispaniola.
  • The aim of this project is to study these poorly known species in order to write a species action plan that will be implemented to ensure their long term conservation. This process also involves training and capacity building within the Dominican Republic.
  • The project is simultaneously carrying out an educational and outreach programme aimed at increasing awareness of these species and the threats to them at the national and international level.
  • This work is crucial to conserve two of the most unique mammal species on earth.
  • In addition to the ongoing challenges, the area has been severely affected by the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti which centred on Port Au Prince. There are many possible serious implications of this natural disaster on conservation efforts across the whole of Hispaniola.

Solenodon Hutia

The field project manager is Dr Jose Nunez-Mino of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. He will be presenting a series of talks at Apothecary while visiting the UK. This is a rare opportunity to hear direct from the expert in the field about the challenges, as well as the research and conservation work being carried out on the Island to overcome them. There will be an opportunity to discuss the issues raised at the end of each talk.

To complement the talks Apothecary will be hosting an exhibition of photographs by some outstanding Dominican photographers. These extraordinary images clearly portray both the beauty and the challenges of this astonishing region.

The pictures will be available to buy; all the money raised from their sale and from ticket sales for the talks will go towards The Last Survivors Conservation Project.

www.thelastsurvivors.org

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