Zoo Successfully Breeding Nearly Extinct Hawaiian Crows | Times of San Diego
The San Diego Zoo is successfully breeding the nearly extinct `alalā, or Hawaiian crow, with nine new chicks reared this year and the total population at 115, the zoo reported Friday.
The birds are extinct in the wild, and the remaining population is managed through the zoo’s Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program at the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center.
The chicks are fed and cared for by animal care staff they never see to ensure they do not imprint on humans.
“`Alalā are very intelligent birds and very susceptible to imprinting”, said Byce Masuda, program manager for San Diego Zoo Global. “We use puppets to hand-rear and feed the birds when they are young to keep them from imprinting onto us so they will act naturally as adults.”
The last `alalā were recorded in their natural habitat in 2002. Planning is underway to restore the `alala to the Big Island of Hawaii beginning in the fall.