Let’s face it, big conservation usually costs big money. We don’t all have the funds to lead the charge to save elephants, giant pandas or rhinos, but there are smaller species who need big help as well! Some of the most successful conservation programs in zoos are those that focus on small animal species who can live in large groups, and the white-winged wood duck is no exception.
The white-winged wood duck, native to India, Southeast Asia and Indonesia, is one of the rarest species of waterfowl in the world. Because of the damage done by deforestation, drainage of their wetland habitat for agriculture, hunting and egg collection, the species was classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2002. Small flocks tend to nest in tree cavities high in the canopy of wetland forests, and the population is fragmented, making studying these large ducks in their natural habitat very difficult.
An important part of species conservation focuses on the sustainability of a population in human care until reintroduction is feasible. The current North American population of white-winged wood ducks was established by Mike and Ali Lubbock of Sylvan Heights Bird Park. Today, they hold the largest number of white-winged wood ducks in the world and have been the most successful breeders of the species over the years. Sylvan Heights Bird Park is happy to provide ducks from their population to zoos and other organizations across the continent in an effort to establish and maintain a diverse gene pool.
In 1995, Sylvan Heights partnered with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Anseriformes Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) and formed a white-winged wood duck Species Survival Plan (SSP). This meant more zoos were paying attention and giving priority to the species and the population and its lineage would be monitored more closely. The first SSP coordinator was Doug Piekarz, who is now the President and CEO of the Akron Zoo. Since Doug developed the studbook, someone at the Akron Zoo has always been the champion for the species and the SSP.
Of course, with every conservation story there are successes and pitfalls, some harder to overcome than others. When building the first North American population in the 1960’s and 70’s, only a few original pairs were brought into human care. This resulted in extremely low genetic diversity in the current population, which is thought to be contributing to an increased sensitivity to avian tuberculosis, or Mycobacterium avium. In order to combat this illness and conduct research on the husbandry and health of the white-winged wood duck population, the Akron Zoo and Hiram College partnered to build the Endangered Waterfowl Breeding Center.
In building this new facility, our goal was to create a space that could house a large number of white-winged wood ducks who were isolated from other wildlife. This would minimize outside sources for illness and protect the health of the population. The space also needed to be resistant to bacteria growth and easily sanitized. With these goals in mind, the Endangered Waterfowl Breeding Center was built in Hiram’s J.H. Barrow Field Station.
Jim Metzinger, the field station director, oversees the daily operation. The Akron Zoo provides the ducks, funds expenses such as food and cleaning supplies and provides veterinary care. Hiram provides the students who work at the field station. Through their study, students gain valuable animal care, animal handling and veterinary experience. They are also given opportunities to develop their own non-invasive research projects involving the ducks.
Over the years we have researched many factors that might be impacting the health of our white-winged wood ducks. Current research shows evidence that an environmental parasite might be helping the mycobacterium to enter the cells of the ducks. By testing samples of water from different zoos and from the Endangered Waterfowl Breeding Center we determined that the parasites in question are not present in the center, but they are in several zoos. Further work must be done in this area to determine whether or not the parasites are indeed a factor in disease development.
Though the exact cause of the birds’ illness remains unknown, we have determined that the center is a great place to head start healthy birds from either egg or brooder table age to bolster the population numbers. The work done with the white-winged wood duck has helped us to better understand the species and equip ourselves for continuing conservation, because no species is too small for big help.
The Akron Zoo is currently involved in 46 SSPs. To learn how you can help, visit us online, or purchase a ticket and spend a day visiting with our animals. A portion of the proceeds from your visit helps us support conservation programs, both locally and around the world!