Posted by Peter 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…
Posted by Peter in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Endangered Species,Field Research,Sea Turtles,Texas,What You Can Do,amphibians
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.
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.
The 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.
Posted by Renee 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
Posted by Peter 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.
Posted by Peter in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Endangered Species,Featured
The Houston Zoo raises Attwater’s Prairie Chickens as part of a captive breeding program. The Attwater’s Prairie Chicken chicks are hand raised and, when they are old enough, many are released into the wild, while others will become part of the breeding program. Chicks begin hatching in late April and the last chicks will hatch in early June.
Attwater’s chicks are precocial, meaning they have feathers and can move and eat on their own. In the wild, the chicks rely on the hen to provide heat. When we hand raise the chicks, we provide them with a heat source and plenty of food and water. Their diet is carefully measured to maintain the proper balance of vitamins, proteins, and other nutrients so the chicks can grow at the proper rate. It is important that the chicks are healthy and strong, so that when they are released into the wild they have a good chance of survival.
Posted by Peter in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Endangered Species,Texas
At the Houston Zoo, Attwater’s Prairie Chicken eggs are handled with great care. When eggs are collected from a nest, they are carefully removed and replaced with dummy, or fake, eggs. When an egg is found it is given an egg log number and the information about which pen it was found in, where it was found in the pen, who the sire and dam are, and the condition of the egg are all recorded in the log. The egg is very carefully marked with its egg log number. The egg width, length, and weight are all measured and recorded on an Egg Data Sheet. This Egg Data Sheet serves as a record of everything that happens to the egg.
The eggs are placed in an incubator, where the incubation staff carefully controls and monitors the humidity, temperature, and turning of the eggs. All of the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken eggs are carefully monitored for weight loss and any signs of distress throughout the incubation period. All eggs are candled and weighed twice a week to monitor development. The egg is candled throughout the incubation process to ensure that the chick is making progress and not under and distress.
When this chick is a couple of days away from hatching, the egg is moved into the hatcher and is closely monitored. Once the chick begins to break through the shell, it takes approximately 24 hrs before the chick is able to hatch. If any problems occur during the hatching process, the incubation staff assists the chick with hatching if necessary. The chicks are hand raised and, when they are old enough, many are released into the wild, while others will become part of the breeding program.
Attwater’s Prairie Chicken Post #4 was on 3/30/10
Posted by Peter in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Endangered Species,Texas
The Attwater’s Prairie Chickens begin nesting in March. The hens make a depression in the ground filled with grass and feathers under the cover of tall grass clumps to create their nests. Hens typically begin laying their eggs in late March.
The Attwater’s Prairie Chicken eggs are light tan to light green in color. The average hen lays a clutch of about 12 eggs. Once all of the eggs are laid, the hen will begin incubating the eggs. The incubation period is about 26 days long. The nests often fall victim to predators such as snakes, fire ants, and hawks; heavy rains can also pose a threat to the success of a nest. The chicks hatch covered in bright yellow feathers with patches of brown and black. In the wild, chicks will stay with the hen for about six weeks.
Attwater's Prairie Chicken Egg
At the Houston Zoo, we collect the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken eggs from our captive flock of birds for artificial incubation and hand rearing of the chicks. This allows us to better protect the eggs from damage and increases the chances of an egg hatching successfully. Our first Attwater’s Prairie Chicken egg of the 2009 breeding season was laid on March 25, 2009. The hens from our breeding flock at NASA produced 163 eggs in 2009.
Attwater’s Prairie Chicken Post #3 was on 3/16/2009
Posted by Peter in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Endangered Species,Texas
A captive breeding program was developed for the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken in 1992 in hopes to help boost the amount of prairie chickens in the wild. The Houston Zoo developed a holding and breeding area on grounds called “Boomtown” for the Attwater’s Prairie Chickens, which served as their home until 2006. Due to further development of the Zoo, it was determined that the prairie chickens needed a more natural, quieter, and more secluded home. Through a partnership with NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the Houston Zoo was able to build large holding pens specifically designed for breeding.
The Attwater’s mating ritual consists of courtship display, called booming, that takes place in a lek, or booming ground. The males inflate the bright orange air sacs on their necks, extend their pinnae and tail feathers upward, and then drop their heads creating an “oo-la-woo” sound as they rapidly stomp their feet. Courtship begins in January and mating occurs between from February through mid-May.
Attwater Prairie Chicken post #2 was on 3/2/2010
Posted by Peter in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Featured,Texas
Welcome to a 5 part series focusing on the world’s of the Attwater’s Prairie chicken – one of the world’s most endangered birds. Follow us through our egg incubation in April and see what it takes to try and recover a species.
"Booming" male Attwater's Prairie Chicken
The Attwater’s Prairie Chicken is a native Texas bird that is brown with strong black bars and a short, round black tail. They are sexually dimorphic, meaning that males and females have a different appearance. The males have elongated feathers called pinnae at the back of their head and large orange air sacs on their neck that are inflated during their mating display, called “booming”. The tail of a male Attwater’s Prairie Chicken is solid black, while the tail of a female is black with brown bars. On average, they are about 17 inches long and weigh between 1.5 and 2.5 pounds. In the wild, adult Attwater’s Prairie Chickens live approximately two to three years, in captivity they can live to about seven years old. Their diet consists mostly of insects early on; as they get older they begin to eat prairie grasses, seed, and plants as well.
Attwater’s Prairie Chickens (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri) are members of the order Galliformes, family Phasianidae, subfamily Tetraoninae (grouse and relatives), and genus Tympanuchus (prairie chickens and sharp-tailed grouse). The Attwater’s prairie chicken is considered to be one of three subspecies of the Greater Prairie Chicken which also includes the extinct Heath Hen (Tympanuchus cupido cupido) and the Greater Prairie Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus).
The Attwater’s historic range includes millions of acres of the coastal prairies of southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana. As a result of habitat loss due to farming, industrialization, and pollution, they are currently restricted to two small prairie reserves, The Attwater’s Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge (APCNWR) and The Nature Conservancy’s Texas Prairie Preserve (TNC) and one area of private land near Goliad, Texas.