Sedgwick County Zoo plays critical role in Guam Sihek recovery

WICHITA, Kan. ( KUAM ) — The Guam Kingfisher, or Sihek, is a bird that was declared extinct in the wild in 1988. But following conservation efforts at Sedgwick County Zoo and other zoos across the U.S., the birds are set to make a comeback.

According to The Nature Conservancy , nine adult birds arrived in Guam this week and will soon be released into the wild.

“We have had a flurry of activity over the last two or three weeks as we get ready for this kind of momentous flight,” Scott Newland, Sedgwick County Zoo president and CEO, said.

Nine of the birds are being released on Palmyra Atoll. The entire team at the Sedgwick County Zoo, where the birds were quarantined, has seen the project’s ups and downs since it was delayed last year because there weren’t enough birds.

“The birds still didn’t read the manual, and it has been a pretty protracted breeding season,” Newland said. “But the good news is we’ve had a lot more egg-laying. We’ve had a lot better success transporting the eggs to Wichita or transporting chicks the day after they hatched here.”

Anne Heitman is the Sedgwick County Zoo’s curator of birds. She has overseen some of the project’s logistics in Wichita.

“We are naturally now the hub of the chick-rearing part. So we’ve gotten to participate a little bit in helping raise the chicks,” she said. “But really, we’re more a logistical side and making sure that they have supplies that they need, the food. Our commissary staff, our vet and med staff have been really integral in making sure they have everything they need. The bird staff are helping out with different supplies and things that they need in the trailer.”

Travis Euwer, the Sedgwick County Zoo bird keeper, spent a week last year in Palmyra helping prepare the aviaries for the Sihek’s arrival.

“So all we had to do was gather up all of our supplies that had been shipped out there, and then we just spent a week just setting up the cages and everything,” he said. “It was an interesting challenge dealing with the weather on Palmyra. It gets a lot of rain.”

“For the people of Guam, like, thank you for trusting us with your birds and being part of this project to continue moving the species forward,” said Emma Koepp, Sedgwick County Zoo zoological manager.

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