HAWAIIAN BIRD PROGRAM CONTINUES IN THE FACE OF VOLCANIC ERUPTION

April 19, 2008

Keauhou, HI — (Keauhou, Hawaii) Kilauea Volcano on the island of Hawai'i continues to cause seismic tremors, lava flow and toxic gas emissions. Despite this threat, a few miles down the slope from the crater, animal care staff at the San Diego Zoo’s Keauhou Bird Conservation Center continue their efforts to save endangered species.

"We are committed to saving these species,” said Alan Lieberman, conservation program manager for the Hawai'i Endangered Bird Conservation Program. “The 11 staff members working at the Center are keeping close watch on the threats caused by the volcano but are still doing their work.”

Although they are continuing their daily routine to care for the bird species, the animal care staff at the Center has also made preparations should Kilauea Volcano’s activity become an imminent threat.

“We have crates stacked up ready to fill with these birds if it becomes apparent we need to leave,” said Lieberman. “These are very delicate species, however, and any kind of move could potentially cause enough stress to cause them serious medical problems. Until there is an imminent threat we will continue to care for these birds at the Center.”

The Center breeds and raises six species representing some of Hawai's most endangered birds. The species at the Center include a large breeding population of the critically endangered alala and palila as well as puaiohi and Maui parrotbill.

The breeding-and-release program is part of a collaborative effort undertaken by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife, the U.S. Geological Survey and the San Diego Zoo to build a sustainable population of these birds in the wild.

The 100-acre San Diego Zoo is operated by the not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego. The Zoological Society, dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and their habitats, engages in conservation and research work around the globe and is responsible for maintaining accredited horticultural, animal, library, and photo collections. The Zoological Society also manages the 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park (more than half of which has been set aside as protected native species habitat) and the center for Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES). The important conservation and science work of these entities is supported in part by the Foundation for the Zoological Society of San Diego.

Contact Info: CHRISTINA SIMMONS(619) 685-3291csimmons