<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0Q4x5n_0wKYOpUU00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0Q4x5n_0wKYOpUU00" width="1536" height="1024" ></figure>Disney shared a new blog post about how their veterinarians and scientists at Disney’s Animal Kingdom are helping revive the Guam kingfisher, a bird that has been extinct in the wild since 1988.<h2>Reviving the Guam Kingfisher at Disney’s Animal Kingdom</h2>The Guam kingfisher, also known as the sihek by the indigenous Chamorro people of Guam, is a medium-sized bird with a strong bill and cinnamon-orange and metallic-blue feathers. Their population began to decline after the introduction of the invasive brown tree snake to Guam in the 1950s. Today, there are only 127 Guam kingfishers being cared for across 25 zoos in the U.S. and Guam.Disney is one of nine U.S. organizations participating in the Sihek Recovery Program, which aims to return the birds back to the wild.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=45m3kp_0wKYOpUU00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=45m3kp_0wKYOpUU00" width="1080" height="1080" ></figure>As part of Disney Planet Possible, two Guam kingfishers have been released into the wild on Palmyra Atoll, a remote island south of Hawai’i. The U.S. Fish &amp; Wildlife Service (USFWS) designated the island an experimental population site in 2022. The birds will be monitored and the hope is for the species to one day be reintroduced back into Guam.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=36gSfW_0wKYOpUU00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=36gSfW_0wKYOpUU00" width="1536" height="1024" ></figure>The Guam Kingfisher Species Survival Plan (SSP) began in 1983. Disney’s veterinarians and experts have studied a small flock of Guam kingfishers at their backstage Avian Research Center (ARC). They have shared vital research about the birds with other organizations in the Sihek Recovery Program. A breeding pair at Disney’s Animal Kingdom also successfully laid an egg that later hatched at another accredited AZA facility and was part of this year’s release program.Dr. Deidre has led the Guam kingfisher SSP health research at Disney’s Animal Kingdom since 2010.“Our primary goal right now is to build what’s called an insurance population of these birds,” said Dr. Deidre, “We hope to have a genetically diverse population, with the hope that they breed and expand to build bigger populations in the future.”  <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4PUnEB_0wKYOpUU00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4PUnEB_0wKYOpUU00" width="1536" height="1024" ></figure>Reintroducing Guam kingfishers to the wild involves hand-rearing them in managed care settings and acclimatizing and releasing them into a predator-free habitat. To prepare for the most recent release, a group of Guam kingfishers underwent quarantine and health assessments. In August, two of Disney’s birds, in containers decorated with bumper stickers created by the children of Cast Members, were flown to the AZA-accredited Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas. They were then flown to Palmyra Atoll in late August.The birds were held in quarantine on the island as they became accustomed to the environment before they were released. They were fitted with transmitters that allow scientists to keep track of them.Dr. Deidre explained, “We have established a network of support through telemedicine and conference calls to address any issues as these birds adapt to their new environment.”“These two birds represent the care and dedication that our cast members have provided over the years,” Dr. Deidre concluded, “symbolizing an incredible opportunity for zoos to play a vital role in saving species.”For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.</div></body>

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Disney’s Animal Kingdom Plays Vital Role in Saving Guam Kingfisher Bird from Extinction

Disney shared a new blog post about how their veterinarians and scientists at Disney’s Animal Kingdom are helping revive the Guam kingfisher, a bird that has been extinct in the wild since 1988. Reviving the Guam Kingfisher at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The Guam kingfisher, also known as the...