In-Situ and Global Conservation Partnerships Mariana Avifauna Conservation (MAC) Project
Sedgwick County Zoo supports the Mariana Avifauna Conservation (MAC) Project in Saipan. The MAC project was initiated in cooperation with US Fish & Wildlife Service and the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, as a response to the threat of the brown tree snake in the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Specifically it was developed to identify and implement conservation actions necessary to ensure the persistence of CNMI’s avifauna. The establishment of the brown tree snake on Saipan, and the increased threat of the species’ establishment on the islands of Rota and Tinian, serves as a direct threat to the survival of many of the CNMI’s endemic and rare bird species. The MAC project is intended to provide the avifauna of the Mariana archipelago with the best possible chances for longterm survival, with the objectives of preserving, maintaining, and establishing self-sustaining populations of native, free flying birds secure from the threat of the brown tree snake. Scott Newland, Curator of Birds, has represented the Sedgwick County Zoo for several years in this important field work.
Caribbean Flamingo Wildlife Expedition—Rio Lagartos, Mexico In late summer of 2012 zookeeper Phil Horvey participated in the Caribbean flamingo Wildlife Research Expedition in Rio Lagartos, Mexico. The expedition paired zookeepers from Dallas Zoo, Tracy Aviary, Sea World San Diego, and Sedgwick County Zoo with local biologists in order to gather basic biological information on Caribbean flamingos. The area of Rio Lagartos creates the perfect environment for a large colony of nesting flamingos because it holds a large
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