August this year the Reherp Foundation is established and officially registered at the Rotterdam Chamber of Commerce. The board is formed by secretary Chris Peters (former Rotterdam Zoo educator) and chairman Henk Zwartepoorte (former Rotterdam Zoo curator of reptiles and amphibians). The foundation has an advisory board: Ton Dorresteyn (former Rotterdam Zoo director), Willem Schaftenaar (former Rotterdam Zoo head of the veterinary department), Jaime Garcia Moreno (amphibian specialist) and Arthur Kalkhoven (independant advisor).
Reherp stands for Recovery for Herpetology.
Activities of the Reherp Foundation:
- Establishment of assurance colonies for future recovery/introduction projects. A breeding center for endangered amphibian and reptile species will soon be opened.
- Awareness and education component (public awareness and staff education).
- Links to in situ recovery projects.
- Connection/cooperation with scientific institutions.
- Strong partnerships with zoos worldwide – EAZA, AZA and ARASPA as well as reliable organized private organizations such as ESF.
- Cooperation with conservation societies and organisations (WWF, IUCN, Amphibian Ark).
The first 3 target species are Testudo kleinmanni, Mauremys annamensis and Shinisaurus crocodilurus.