Species maintenance through captive-bred release (1 Viewer)

[columbidae]

I have read a couple of articles recently about the Attwater greater prairie chicken. This bird is on the brink of extinction in the wild, with its habitat reduced to two nature preserves in south Texas. Wild populations, which number only in the dozens, are kept viable only by the annual release of captive bred birds. Among these released birds the annual mortality rate is well over 50 percent--in fact, one article said over 98 percent--mostly due to predation by raptors. Clearly if it weren't for the captive breeding program this species would no longer exist in the wild.

I really have to wonder about the ethics of continuing to release Attwater's prairie chickens year after year, to their near certain deaths. I certainly understand wanting to keep a wild species from extinction, but when the species is kept viable only by breeding in captivity and the maintenance of the last tiny island of habitat that remains, I'm not sure what the point is.

The problem for the Attwater's prairie chicken is obvious--it's habitat simply doesn't exist in an area sufficient to maintain the species at numbers large enough to overcome predation. Wouldn't it make more sense to maintain this species in safe captivity at least until additional habitat area can be acquired and restored?

I would like to hear some other thoughts on this.

 

[phyllosc]

Dan

You have made some reasonable comments and I can understand how you feel about the reintroduction programme. However, isn't it a fact that all wild birds raise young which will untimately be foder for preditors and so introducing them is only mimicking nature.

I think you have a strong point on the habitat issue. I'm not familar with this bird or its habitat requirements but finding more suitable habitat or recreating more must surely be the way forward for securing it's long term protection.

Dave

 

[Tannin]

I guess I feel about the captive release maintenence the way I feel about a heart-lung machine - it's what you have to do in the short-term in order to give yourself time to organise a long-term solution.

The key here, I think is that organising a proper long-term solution cannot be just ignored: do you know if there are any moves afoot to do that?

 

[walwyn]

I think that the alternatives to 'holding the fort' untill a proper long-term solution is found, are to either accept that this species will only ever be kept in collections, or that its time is up and should be allowed to disappear with dignity.

 

[Michael Frankis]

They could try some shock tactics before release, to 'teach' them that raptors are nasty, as done with California Condors before release to increase their fear of people

Michael

 

[columbidae]

First, in response I want to make clear I am not opposed to releasing captive bred birds in general (the recently-discussed example of the California condor is a good example of a success in the making). But in the case of the Attwater's prairie chicken, the annual mortality rate among the captive released birds is so high, around 98 percent according to one article, that in effect releasing a captive bred bird seems to be sending it to its certain death.

In the long term, the hope is that more land will be acquired to be returned to habitat for this species. Not being an expert in this area, I don't know how much land would have to be set aside to build a self-sustaining population for this species, but I would think it would have to be a very large area. And knowing a little about the area in question--south Texas, around Houston--which has an almost unimaginably huge concentration of people and heavy industry, I don't feel optimistic.

In the meantime, it seems that in their tiny islands of habitat, the few birds that are sent out to maintain the population become literal sitting ducks (or sitting prairie chickens) for the healthy local raptor populations.

I think Walsyn's comment goes to the heart of the matter. It's always terribly sad to think about the extinction of a species, or its reduction to "specimen" status in captive collections. But there also seems something cruel in breeding and raising birds only to send them out to their near certain doom.

 

[columbidae]

Sorry, I see I misspelled walwyn's name.

 

[Tannin]

You make a reasoned and persuasive argument, Dan. On the other hand, while knowing nothing about the area or the species in question, the obvious assumption I jump to is that there is either a severe habitat change problem there, or else (perhaps) the other species that the rators in question used to prey on have become rare. Or, as a final possibility, maybe the raptors need culling. (Sounds most unlikely, but I mention this possibility for completeness. There are certainly predator populations here in Australia that are way out of balance and require regular human intervention, though I think that they are all introduced ones.)

In the end though, the raptors have to eat something. Why not Attwater Greater Prairie Chickens? We humans raise countless millions of birds (and mammals) simply in order to kill them. Hell, my cats eat, and I had a chicken sandwich for lunch myself.

 

[birdman]

I think you raise a very valid argument, Dan, which I largely support.

I am guessing from the name of the bird, however, (Attwater's Greater Prairie-Chicken) and from a quick look in my American Bird Book, that his bird has never been numerous - and is barely if anything more than a subspecies of the Greater Prairie-Chicken.

It seems that an extreme effort is being expended to "save" a bird that has only ever had the most tenuous grip on existence.

That in itself doesn't make it unworthy of support, but aren't there better candidates for this kind of intervention?

Were there previously hundreds of thousands of these birds, or have there always been a few dozen?

If it was the former, then I suspect habitat destruction has been the main cause, and I doubt there will be much hope of restoration in the next few lifetimes. We don't tend to give it back as eagerly as we take it!

If it's the latter, then perhaps "a few dozen" is as viable a population as we can expect at this time.

There's no easy solution, though, is there!

 

[columbidae]

Yes, the Attwater's prairie chicken is a geographically separate subspecies of the greater prairie chicken. I don't know how many once existed, but it was considerably more numerous than it is today.

Habitat destruction is indeed extremely severe in this area. This species had the misfortune to be concentrated in the area that would become greater Houston, Texas, the 3rd most populous city in the US and the center of a gigantic petroleum and chemical industry. Much of the area is a literal environmental wasteland.

This habitat will never be restored to the way it was, not in a thousand years.

 

[Michael Frankis]

From what I've read, it is a very likely candidate for a future species split - as closely related to Lesser PC as it is to Greater PC

Michael

 

[pauco]

not as fast as the road runner then beep beep !!!
bert.

 

[walwyn]

Sorry, I see I misspelled walwyn's name.

Not to worry - usually called worse well its 7 letters starts with B and ends with D and is only one letter away from a type of bird.