Into the Wild................................................................................ Cool conservation projects supported by Riverbanks

This iconic species is native to North America but only found in tiny fragmented populations. Whooping cranes were on the brink of extinction as hunting and destruction of nesting habitats had decimated their wild populations. In the 1940s their estimated population was a mere 20 individuals.

A whole lot of teamwork was needed to bring stability to this species. Zoos, research centers, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service all came together and acted quickly to save this species. They worked to match individual cranes with mates to help increase populations safely in human care. Those initial breeding and reintroduction efforts boosted whooping cranes with a dramatic recovery. Without the help of zoos caring for these amazing birds, there would no longer be whooping cranes alive today. Each year chicks reared in human care are released into the wild to bolster the population. But for these reintroduction efforts to continue, fertile eggs must be laid, and healthy chicks raised. This is where Riverbanks’ support came into play.

Researchers noted that reintroduction programs had been slowed by poor reproductive success. They found most whooping crane pairs in human care were experiencing low fertility rates and weren’t laying eggs.

Through the Satch Krantz Conservation Fund, Riverbanks supported the research of six mated pairs of whooping cranes being cared for by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia. With less than 830 whooping cranes on the planet, the six females within this fertility study proved vital to providing conservationists the information they needed to continue saving this species.

Riverbanks’ conservation grant specifically helped fund the study of whooping crane hormones. Through blood and fecal samples, researchers could determine how they affected a female’s ability to lay fertile eggs. Combined with ultrasounds scientists were then able to better understand the relationship between hormones and reproductive success.

Having a better understanding of female reproductive functions provides conservationists the vital information they need to spark more egg-citing success. Because more eggs equal more chicks, and more chicks mean more whooping cranes reintroduced into the wild. Thanks to the Satch Krantz Conservation Fund, Riverbanks is supporting the efforts to continue this species’ remarkable recovery.

QUICK FACTS

WHOOPING CRANES (Grus americana) • Named for their loud whooping calls • Tallest birds in North America, standing 5 feet tall • Remaining populations mainly found in northwestern Canada, and coastal Louisiana and Texas • Migrates 2,500 miles between

northern breeding territories and southern wintering habitats • An estimated 826 whooping cranes

are alive today (in human care and in the wild)

CONSERVATION GRANT • Project Title: Understanding Endocrine Control of Egg Production for Improved Reproduction of Whooping Cranes • Project Leaders: Dr. Megan Brown and Dr. Nucharin Songsasen, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute • Project Location: Virginia, USA • Amount Funded: $4,800 | June 2018

Riverbanks is proud to support such outstanding conservation work.

Mark Your Calendar

March 28 | Riverbanks Run | So You Want to be a Zookeeper APRIL 2 | Painting with a Purpose 7-10 | Zoo Camp 14-17 | Zoo Camp 24 | Wine Tasting at Riverbanks Botanical Garden MAY 5 | Midlands Gives 10 | Mother’s Day Brunch 15 | Twilight in the Garden 29 | Members’ Night Out

Member FDIC

RIVERBANKS ZOO & GARDEN

Mother’s Day Brunch Celebrate Mom with brunch and live music in South Carolina’s most iconic Botanical Garden!

10:30a - 12:00p 1:30p - 3:00p Seating Times

Photos: Jessica Roberts Photography

Members $39.95 per adult $28.95 per child General Public $49.95 per adult $38.95 per child