Hobbies And Interests
California Condor
Once found up and down the Western coast of the United States, California condors now only inhabit the desert regions of southern California. Being a vulture species, the California condor naturally preys on dead or dying animals. Condors clean themselves religiously, often preening and washing their heads and necks to prevent catching an infection from the diseased animals they consume.
The population of California condors dipped to less than 25 individuals in the late 1970s. Poisoned bait meant for other predators accidentally killed many condors; human disruption of the condor's habitat further reduced the species' numbers. Zoologists began breeding the condors in captivity and then releasing them back into the wild. This captive breeding has been successful to a limited extent because California condors reproduce slowly. Some birds reintroduced into their natural environment do not interact well with those living in the wild, and many others fail to survive at all.
Florida Panther
The Florida panther makes its home in southern Florida, but its historical range included other southern states. In 2002, a mere 20 to 50 individuals remained in the wild. Habitat destruction and hunting of the animals eliminated many of the panthers.
As of 2006, recovery efforts had boosted the population of wild panthers to about 80 members. Biologists urge the government not to become overly optimistic with these numbers because panthers continue to die in their encounters with humans, especially those in automobiles.
Hawaiian Crow
Found only on the big island of Hawaii, the Hawaiian crow remains the only type of crow species in a state where five species used to inhabit. The Hawaiian crow no longer exists in the wild; by 2005, the 55 remaining members of the species existed only in the Keauhou and Maui Bird Conservation Centers. The causes of decimation of the crow population included introduced predators, such as the Indian mongoose, hunting by humans, destruction of the the elevated forests of Hawaii that constitute the crow's natural habitat and fatal diseases. Captive breeding techniques could not bring the Hawaiian crow back from the brink of extinction because breeding the crows proved difficult and the reintroduced crows could not cope in the wild. Twenty-seven birds were released into the wild early in the recovery program, but 21 of them perished, so biologists decided to return the remaining six to captivity. Without implementation of other measures, such as habitat reconstruction and predator prevention techniques to aid the crows in the wild, future reintroductions most likely will fail.
Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
Thought to be extinct since 1944, a lone ivory-billed woodpecker reappeared in the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge of Arkansas in 2004. Destruction of forests in the Southeastern United States partly accounts for the woodpecker's decreasing numbers. In 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service implemented a plan to identify any remaining populations and gain knowledge of the woodpecker's biology, thus paving the way to protect any vestiges of the species when found. The government is exploring measures to protect the woodpecker's habitat should conservation efforts prove successful in resuscitating the ivory-billed woodpecker population.
Red Wolf
Red wolves, unlike their gray wolf cousins, suffer from low numbers in the wild because of destruction of their habitats and human actions meant to control wolf activity. In 1980, the federal government acknowledged that red wolves had become extinct in the wild. Biologists were able to capture 17 individuals, the only members of the species remaining, to help increase their numbers in controlled environments. Zoologists released wolf pairs into the wild after successful breeding in captivity. As of 2011, about 100 individuals exist in the Northeastern portion of North Carolina while about 200 remain in captivity.
Wyoming Toad
Wyoming toads have disappeared from the wild, probably as early at the 1980s; the remaining members exist only in Wyoming's Mortenson Lake. Even with captive breeding techniques, several factors have prevented the successful reintroduction of the toads into the wild. A fungus called chytrid had initially reduced the toad population in the wild; chytrid continues to kill up to 85 percent of reintroduced toads between 1 and 3 years of age. Despite the release of copious numbers of tadpoles into the toad's natural environment, a majority of the immature toads never reach reproductive maturity, which occurs at age 3. The fungus also kills the toads indirectly, dulling their reflexes and ability to escape from predators. Conservation efforts center around reducing pesticide distribution, chytrid control, increasing survivability of captive toads and tadpoles and learning more about the life cycles of the toads to better respond to their needs.