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This morning I had the good fortune to take a tour of the Bird Conservation facility and learn about our Hawaiian endangered birds.Our guide, Natalie did a wonderful job sharing the obvious passion for their work. I learned that the main reasons for loss of species in Hawaii are: Habitat Destruction, Competition for Food and Nesting sites, Disease, and Isolated Populations.
Good news, the Hawaiian Nene Goose is doing so well, that they have recently suspended the Nene propagation program , focusing on more severely impacted native birds. From 1997 to 2011, 750 Nene eggs were laid, 396 goslings hatched with a 95% survival rate. The population has increased from 40-50 birds in the 1950's with no Nene on Maui as recent as the 1970's. Now there are more than 2000 birds in Hawaii Nei..How wonderful!
Sadly, the Alala or Hawaiian Crow is now extinct in the wild. The Alala is considered one of the most threatened birds in the entire world. There were an estimated 20 birds in1994, some 56 birds in 2007, and now that number has nearly doubled. The significance of this beautiful bird is two fold. In Hawaiian culture the Alala is considered an Amakua, a family guardian, and this crow plays a critical role in the regeneration of native forests on the Big Island. In the wild the Alala is a busy forager eating insects, mice and native berries. To keep the captive and curious birds from becoming bored, these folks have created an enrichment program creating food challenges for them. The birds that hatch into captivity are surrounded by photos and audio of their own species so they won't imprint on humans. They hope to release Alala into the wild on the Big Island in 2014. Birds are reintroduced by first releasing them into remote aviaries to acclimate.
This program is a partnership with the San Diego Zoo , Forestry and Wildlife, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They can be reached at 808 572-0690.http://malamahawaii.org/blog/malama-events/maui-bird-conservation-center-open-house/
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If you want to learn and help, I encourage you to check these folks out. I am so happy to have taken the time to drive up to the cool forests of Olinda this morning. I feel much richer for the experience.
Let's please treat our planet and all the endangered creatures and each other with great appreciation and respect.
For volunteer opportunities, please check out my site at www.volunteer-on-vacation-hawaii.com
I hope to get these folks on the site soon.
Much Aloha on a glorious Maui day..
Cherie
4 comments:
Nice, I was curious about their open house too.
Glad to hear the nene is doing so well. They're mean, but beautiful. Thanks for sharing all of this! We'll have to check it out.
I've been meaning to visit them too. Habitat destruction hurts us all in the end. I'll have to get myself up there.
Thank you for sharing! Very informative post. The encroachment of development and introduction of non-native species can change so many things. It's good to hear the Nene population has recovered.
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