Zoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal. To meet the Interns, read the Intern Profiles.

According to Dave Orndorff, animal care manager for birds, the San Diego Zoo holds the largest collection of birds in North America. Within this collection of over 2,000 birds there is one of 82 animals of its kind left in the world: the Micronesian kingfisher. This bird, extinct in the wild, is native to the island of Guam. However, due to human interference - we brought brown tree snakes to the island - and predation by that introduced snake, the kingfisher is only found in managed care. Although human activity led to the extinction of this animal in the wild, Mr. Orndorff explained to us the conservation strategies that the San Diego Zoo is a part of to try to fix that ill. These efforts hopefully will result in the kingfisher returning to the wild.

The extinction of this beautiful bird began during World War II, when troops bringing supplies to the island accidentally brought along a non-native snake species to the fragile island environment. The brown tree snakes feasted on the birds and anything else that came their way, and they also reproduced at an alarming rate, causing an imbalance in the natural habitat. The snake problem became so bad that the few remaining (uneaten) Micronesian kingfishers were removed from the wild in the 1960s in hopes of recovering the population in captivity.

The San Diego Zoo is one of the participating zoos around the world that keeps and breeds these birds as part of a Species Survival Plan (SSP). These plans target endangered animals that have a chance of escaping extinction. SSP's are generally managed by an animal keeper, curator, or other zoo or aquarium professional. Population management, research, education, and reintroduction are all aspects helping endangered species. An SSP is designed to create a sustainable population that is genetically fit and able to survive in the wild.

Returning to the status of things on the island of Guam: the brown tree snake continues to be a problem. Because a little change can affect an environment dramatically (this whole thing started with a few snakes, after all!), further human activities must be carefully considered. We asked Mr. Orndorff about a solution of introducing a snake predator to the island. He responded that it could create the same problem with overpopulation of another non-native species. The snake population would go down, but the new predators would grow out of control.

I was rattled by the news that this snake could possibly be introduced to Hawaii. The Zoological Society of San Diego's Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program (HEBCP) is working on ways of reintroducing endangered birds back into the wild. Working in conjunction with the federal government and private landowners of Hawaii, the conservation scientists on this project hope to conserve these bird species through habitat preservation and protection from non-native predators. There has been great success with the reintroduced captive-bred birds; with some species, a 400 percent increase in population has been reported. Of course, they started out with as few as four birds, so the species are still in a precarious position. The problems these birds are facing mirror those of the kingfisher. With adequate funding and initiative, and a lot of work, a change can be made for the betterment of endangered species. Unfortunately, sometimes the efforts start too late. One of the Hawaiian songbirds that was part of the HEBCP went extinct, despite the efforts of the dedicated conservation scientists. (Read blogs from HEBCP staff members.)

The Zoo's involvement in conservation brings hope to the kingfisher's eventual reintroduction back into Guam. Learning about these efforts left me with a lasting impression of the delicate balance of habitats and an appreciation for the work of animal keepers and conservation scientists alike.

Intern Sarah, Zoo InternQuest, Conservation Team

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