Posts Tagged ‘Attwater’s Prairie Chicken’

May
08

Attwater’s prairie chickens are increasing in numbers at the Houston Zoo

Posted by in Attwater's Prairie Chicken,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research,Sending animals back to the wild,Series,Texas

Houston Zoo incubators full of Attwater’s prairie chicken eggs

The incubators at the Houston Zoo are full of Attwater’s prairie chicken eggs collected and carefully transported from our facility at the Johnson Space Center. 

The chick nursery is full of peeping Attwater’s chicks!  The first group of the oldest chicks are already old enough to move to their outside accommodations.  They are growing up before our eyes!

 In a few months time all of these chicks will be out in the wild again!

Stay tuned for more on how the Houston Zoo is saving animals in the wild!

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Jan
23

Houston Zoo Attwater’s Prairie Chickens Thriving in the Wild!

Posted by in Attwater's Prairie Chicken,Birds,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research,Texas,Uncategorized

Last week, staff from the Houston Zoo conservation, veterinary and bird departments assisted in Attwater’s prairie chicken field work at the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge.  US Fish and Wildlife staff drove us out into the refuge in the dark of the night.  We stopped and parked the vehicles at the precise location they had tracked birds to earlier in the day.  Never having seen an Attwater’s prairie chicken in the wild before, I was very excited to trek off into the dark prairie with the US Fish and Wildlife staff member, Mike Morrow. He carried his radio telemetry equipment, I carried the net and another Houston Zoo staff member followed ready to carry the captured bird back to the vehicles to be processed.   

Each captive bird that is released into the wild is fitted with a radio collar that is used to track the birds movements.  Radio telemetry equipment is then used to track and capture specific individuals.  Each bird that was captured was examined and blood and fecal samples were taken in an effort to monitor their health.   The birds were then re-released where they were captured in the refuge.

Houston Zoo staff holding wild Attwater’s prairie chicken for examination.

It is beautiful on the prairie at night.  No city lights means a clear starry night sky and the only sounds were our feet making contact with the prairie vegetation, the birds’ wings pounding the air as we flushed them from their roosting spots and the eerie coyote calls in the distance.    We captured the first several birds relatively quickly, but the 5th bird proved to be a bit more of a challenge.   This particular bird would not let Mike get within 6 feet of her, and we made 6 attempts before deciding to give up on her.  As we began to reorient ourselves to get back to the vans, Mike revealed his feeling of defeat over the failed mission to capture this bird.  I told him I felt this was a great example of the will of this species to survive.   This animal has a fighting chance with the many predators it will face if we can’t even sneak up on it.  He whole heartedly agreed with this perspective and enthusiastically carried on with this essential species-saving work.

We assisted with the capture of 15 birds and to our delight 2 of them were raised at the Houston Zoo.  The Houston Zoo has been working with the Attwater’s prairie chicken recovery effort since 2004, so seeing an animal that has been raised at the Houston Zoo, thriving in the wild is a magnificent experience.  This is another wonderful reminder of the important role the Houston Zoo plays in the race to save species.  For more about this awesome local recovery program and others at the Houston Zoo click here.

 

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May
16

The new Conservation Annual Report is here!

Posted by in community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research,Texas

Houston Toad release

So, what has the conservation department been up to over the past year?  I am sure you hear snippets here and there about the work we do, but we wanted to make sure we had a way for people to get a full scope of what the Houston Zoo is doing around the world to ensure that the endangered species we house here at the zoo will continue to thrive in the wild.  With the help of our partners we are endeavoring to ensure the security of the planet’s biodiversity.  

 

Attwater's prairie chicken chick

Our report tells of a lot of great progress in wildlife conservation this year.  You can read about the observation of female captive bred Attwater’s prairie chickens raising their chicks in the wild.  The goal in wildlife conservation is not just to save species, we also seek to improve the lives of the local communities.   You will enjoy the story of how children in Rwanda love to dress up and learn about wildlife through plays and dance.   This report will inspire you and bring you up to speed on the depth of our efforts.   

“This report is full of human partnerships and friendships that give us hope for the future, as science alone cannot save a species“  a quote from the Houston Zoo Director, Rick Barongi.

Click here to read the Conservation Annual Report.

 

 

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Apr
25

Our first Attwater’s Prairie chicken egg hatched today!

Posted by in Attwater's Prairie Chicken,Conservation,Endangered Species,Texas

I was greeted in the parking lot this morning by a very excited member of the bird department, who insisted I come to meet the cutest hatchling there ever was.  I of course agreed(I also may have jumped up and down with joy) and followed him and another keeper to the incubation room.  They opened the incubator, the little fluffy critically endangered chick sat there looking bright,  alert and ready to take on the world.  One of the bird keepers remarked that it definitely rivaled a baby Red panda in cuteness, and quite honestly I had to agree.   They eagerly showed me the egg the chick hatched out of, and how perfectly the little one chipped its way out of the shell.  I am always so grateful to share in moments like these, the fact that this little guy’s species is even still existing is due in part to our bird department’s deterimenation and hard work.   They are proud parents and as they should be!

Attwater’s prairie chicken is barely hanging on in a few small protected remnants of its native habitat. In addition to captive breeding, the future of this seriously threatened bird will rest not only with the United States government, state agencies, and zoological institutions that have taken up its cause, but also with the people of Texas. Land owned and protected by private citizens will very likely become the final stronghold for this native species.

I do realize that this is an amazing perk of working at the Houston Zoo, but there should be some sort of App created that could kick start everyones morning with a viewing of a critically endangered species baby like I got today!

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Feb
17

Houston Zoo Wildlife Conservation is on Facebook!

Posted by in Africa,amphibians,Attwater's Prairie Chicken,Black bears,Borneo,Carnivores,Chimpanzee,community-based conservation,Conservation,Elephant,Endangered Species,Field Research,Galapagos,Going Green,Gorilla,orangutan,Painted Dog,Panama,Rhino,Travel

 

Booming chickens on prairies and adventures to find bear hair in the Big Thicket. Leech infested forests? Monsoons? Leg swallowing mud and Sea Gull poo? Wild Orangutans that use bridges and toads with implants.  Confused? Don’t be. Join us and interact with local and global conservation on our new Houston Zoo Conservation Facebook page. Keep up with the conservation department and our partners in the field, and don’t forget to comment along the way!

Link here and follow along: http://www.facebook.com/#!/houstonzooconservation

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Sep
03

Reintroducing the Endangered Attwater’s Prairie Chicken into the Wild, By: Kirsten Thoede

Posted by in Attwater's Prairie Chicken,Endangered Species,Field Research

Attwater's Prairie Chicken Chick

The final stage in the captive rearing of the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken is the release. These endangered and endearing birds are released at one of three release sites: the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken Wildlife Refuge (APCNWR), The Nature Conservancy’s Texas Prairie Preserve, and private land near Goliad, Texas. After the birds are transferred from the zoo to the release site, they are fitted with bands and radio collars in order to identify each individual once they are on the prairie. This allows the biologists to more easily find and identify each individual bird and to keep an accurate count of the population. Each release site is equipped with release pens in which the birds are placed prior to release in order to ensure that all of the birds are well transitioned from the zoo to the release site. Food, consisting of vegetables, bugs and grain, is provided for the birds for several weeks until they are fully grown and ready for release onto the coastal prairie, their native habitat. As an Attwater’s Prairie Chicken intern, this is the most satisfying and awesome experience. Seeing the chicks grow from the time they hatch until they are ready for release is amazing, with each successful release, the wild population of these lovely birds grows, and the release process is complete.

 By: Kirsten Thoede, Attwater’s Prairie Chicken Intern

Attwater's Prairie Chicken Chick

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Aug
23

What Really Matters

Posted by in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Endangered Species,Going Green,What You Can Do

It can be overwhelming. Every media outlet you turn to – all the messages are negative. Crime, economy, natural disasters…so we shut down mentally.

At the zoo we talk about the struggle to preserve wildlife and wildlife habitat. People need to see what is going on in the world, but you need to see the positives as well.

In Rwanda, a team of field veterinarians are tending to the health of Mountain Gorillas. In Zimbabwe, education bush camps are teaching children to protect Painted Dogs.  In Texas, the Houston Zoo and partners are reintroducing Attwater’s Prairie Chickens and Houston Toad back into native habitat. In Botswana, our partners at Cheetah Conservation Botswana are helping to protect the health of the communities’ domestic animals and working side-by-side to ensure the safety of their livestock. At the zoo, we recycle and reduce our landfill waste stream. 

A colleague once said to me Human nature does not program us to be proactive until it is almost too late. Well that is dissapointing. What really matters is for everyone to do something positive, just one thing. What really matters is that one thing can ultimately lead to a larger chain of events.

Find one minute a day to step back and look around – have you ever just stopped to watch the birds or butterflies in your neighborhood?  A recent poll found Houston #3 on the list of most stressful cities. We work too much, do not get outside enough (it’s hot, it’s humid, it’s buggy – I get it). But if you take a moment and find one minute a day to do that one simple positive thing – that is what really matters.

…and now for your viewing pleasure, a random photo of a mountain gorilla and his very engaging feet…

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Aug
16

Texas

Posted by in amphibians,Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Endangered Species,Field Research,Sea Turtles,Texas,What You Can Do

Everything is bigger in Texas, and the biodiversity is no exception. Ten recognized eco-regions are home to an amazing abundance of wildlife and plants in the Lone Star State. Over 80 species of mammals, 600 plus species of birds, more than 250 species of reptiles and amphibians and countless thousands of species of invertebrates can be found in Texas. Of the nearly 6,000 species of plants found here, at least 325 are endemic and found nowhere else in the world.

North American River Otter

Our Houston toad head-start program has seen over 30,000 tadpoles and toads released to their natal ponds this year alone. One of the most critically endangered birds in the United States, the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken, is hatched and reared for release to augment their ever dwindling wild population. Our Education staff conducts field and science based programs for local school children to foster appreciation for this endemic grouse. Outreach programs also focus on the restoration of the black bear to the dense Pineywoods of East Texas, our vanishing coastal prairies, endangered sea turtles and local amphibian declines. In a state that is 97 percent private, we continue to expand collaboration with landowners – both working with them directly and assisting with workshops to teach them to manage their property for endangered wildlife. Other local research and field activities include turtle road mortality and mitigation, sea turtle nest patrols, and assistance with ongoing graduate projects with local universities.

Attwater's Prairie Chicken chickThe Houston Zoo’s conservation mission is to make the Houston Zoo a leader in conservation as it relates to the survival of threatened wildlife, the wise use of natural resources, and the appreciation of our natural world by our zoo visitors. We take wildlife conservation in Texas seriously and we would like for all Texans to appreciate the State’s unique habitats and heritage.

Want to hear more about what makes Texas so special? Then join us on November 17th for a very special speaker event featuring Carter Smith, Executive Director, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. 6:30pm-8:00pm in our Brown Education Center. Link here for tickets.

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Jul
16

The zoo is re-introducing and recovering the population of Attwater Prairie Chickens

Posted by in Endangered Species,Field Research,Texas

Attwater Prairie Chicken

 This week I was very fortunate to get the opportunity to spend the day working with the zoo’s most exciting captive breeding and re-introduction project.     

We wheeled out of the zoo gates early in the morning with a carefully selected group of Attwater Prairie Chickens that were hatched here at the zoo and headed to the release site.  The chickens stayed very quiet in the back of the van for the hour and 45 minute ride.  We arrived at the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge’s visitor center and brought all the birds in to get fitted with radio collars and to receive their final physical before they were released into the wild.    

Attwater Prairie Chicken radio collar

Attwater Prairie Chicken getting fitted with a radio collar

The Houston Zoo, and all of Texas for that matter, has every right to be immensely proud of this captive breeding and re-introduction project.  I worked with a few re-introduction recovery projects back home in Canada, and they have been the most rewarding and exhausting experiences of my life!  These programs frequently commence when a species population has dropped to a ridiculously low number, and are dangerously close to extinction. There are harsh ups and downs in the recovery of a critically endangered species, but knowing you are bringing a species back from the brink of extinction is a powerful and unparalleled experience.  Our bird department (Hannah Bailey, Mollie Coym and the rest of the dedicated staff) work tirelessly to ensure the success of this project.  They really seem to live and breathe chickens!    

Attwater Prairie Chickens being carried out to the pre-release site in Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge

After the processing we took the birds out to the pre-release sites in the Refuge with a man named Dr. Mike Morrow.  It is an honor to meet the heroes that have been with the projects from the start.  He has been with this project from the beginning and has done everything in his power to give this project life.  This year Mike, our bird department staff and everyone who have been involved in this project over the last 20 years are experiencing a major “up”.   For the first time, Mike has had the privilege of observing captive bred re-introduced birds successfully raising chicks in the wild.  Before this year they could only speculate that this was indeed happening.  This is a pivotal point for any re-introduction project, when captive animals prove they can raise young in the wild!     

Dr. Mike Marrow and the bird department staff preparing for release

Everyone that has been involved in this project should take a bow!  The Attwater Prairie Chicken recovery effort is far from being over, but this observation is evidence that it is well on its way.   It takes a team of passionate individuals and solid partnerships to keep these projects growing and thriving.   How about a round of applause for the team of zoo staff, Mike and everyone else involved who are tirelessly working to save this Texas species!   

Dr. Mike Marrow ready to release an Attwater Prairie Chicken

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Jun
08

Prairie Chickens Part 7: A Day in the life of an APC Intern

Posted by in Endangered Species,Featured,Texas

The day starts at 7:00 in the morning with a visual check of all the chicks currently at the zoo. The smallest and youngest chicks are in brooder boxes, large boxes with heat lamps built into the top for warmth. Chicks that are around a week old live in “Stackers,” taller, more open boxes similar to brooder boxes but with adequate space for the growing birds. Chicks 50 grams and above live outdoors in gravel pens with heat lamps for warmth at night and cuttings of native plants for shelter.

After all the chicks are checked on, the cleaning begins. The lining in Stacker cages are changed daily and the gravel in the outdoor pens is raked daily. While their enclosures are cleaned, individual chick weights are recorded to monitor their health and growth. A diet is prepared for each enclosure with specially formulated grain for Attwater’s prairie chickens as well as live insects and a greens mix including carrot, peas, kale, and apple. Each enclosure’s diet is weighed and doled out four times a day based on the age of the chicks and the number of chicks in each enclosure.

A member of the vet staff comes by twice a day to check on the prairie chicken chicks and provide treatment if necessary to help the chicks grow big and strong.

Sometimes, the interns have help in their daily task of taking care of the prairie chicken chicks. Domestic hens are often given Attwater’s prairie chicken eggs to incubate, and these hens keep these chicks with them for the first few weeks of the chicks’ lives. The hens “brood” the chicks – allow the chicks to nestle under their feathers for warmth – and lead them to the food with a distinctive cluck.

The afternoon is primarily filled with projects around the department. As more chicks hatch, more outdoor pens are needed to house the growing chicks. Pens are scrubbed clean, filled with gravel, and some have grass planted in them and kept watered until the chicks arrive. Brooder boxes and Stackers are cleaned thoroughly after chicks grow large enough to move outside and before new chicks arrive. For the gravel pens, new trimmings of fresh plants such as hackberry limbs have to be prepared every few days so the chicks can always have fresh plants in their enclosures.

As an intern working with the Attwater’s prairie chicken chicks, there is never a dull moment between feeding, cleaning, and caring for these endangered birds. We are proud of the opportunity to be a part of so many important lives, each one of which helps bring such an amazing species back from the brink of extinction.

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