Audubon Nature Institute Reproduction Program Wins AZA Endangered Species Award

By Sarah Burnette

New Orleans, LA - An Audubon Nature Institute reproduction program credited with saving one species from almost certain extinction has won the highest conservation honor awarded by the zoo profession’s national accrediting organization.

The Mississippi sandhill crane breeding program at Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species/Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center in New Orleans is the recipient of the 2009 Edward H. Bean Award, given annually by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in recognition of significant contributions in species reproduction. The program utilizes high-tech assisted reproduction such as artificial insemination and cryopreservation to boost the dwindling population of Mississippi sandhill cranes.

“The Audubon Nature Institute’s Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species – Audubon Species Survival Center is a true leader in conservation science,” said AZA President and CEO Jim Maddy. “The AZA Bean Award provides well-deserved national recognition for the hard work of the Audubon team.”

“This program is justifiably a source of pride for us here at Audubon Nature Institute,” said Audubon Nature Institute President and CEO Ron Forman. “For nearly 15 years, the team at Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species has been hatching and raising Mississippi sandhill crane chicks and releasing them back into the wild. Because of their efforts, the Mississippi sandhill crane population has increased, going from 40 birds in the wild to 100. We know this program is an ongoing model for species preservation, and it’s gratifying to receive the special recognition.”

The breeding program has produced as many as 20 chicks each year since 1995 via artificial insemination and costume-rearing. In addition, in 2007 and 2008 the program produced the first and second Mississippi sandhill crane chicks from cryobanked frozen/thawed semen.

The Mississippi sandhill crane is a critically endangered subspecies. The Audubon Species Survival Center houses 29 cranes in its program. The most recent hatch represents the 4th generation of cranes to be bred at the Center.

“We now know how to inseminate these birds and rear the chicks,” said Dr. Betsy Dresser, director of Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species. “With the advent of chicks produced via cryopreservation, we have yet another safeguard against the extinction of the species.”

Cryopreservation is important, according to Dr. Dresser, because semen samples from genetically valuable males can be stored indefinitely in the Frozen Zoo, creating an almost unlimited opportunity to produce genetically valuable chicks.

The program is administered in conjunction with White Oak Conservation Center, which houses 6 naturally-breeding crane pairs and parent-raises two to four chicks a year for release, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

All the chicks are released onto the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge near Gautier, Mississippi.

“It is a thrill every year to see these birds hatch out, grow up and fly into the world with others of their kind,” said Megan Lauber Savoie, Crane Program Coordinator at Audubon Species Survival Center. “To raise Mississippi sandhill cranes while growing this program and contributing to the body of knowledge about the species is a conservationist’s dream.”

The not-for-profit Audubon Nature Institute operates parks and museums in New Orleans dedicated to Celebrating theWonders of Nature including Audubon Zoo, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Entergy IMAX® Theatre, Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species, Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center, Wilderness Park, Woldenberg Riverfront Park, Audubon Park and the newly-opened Audubon Insectarium. For more information about Audubon Nature Institute, its public attractions and conservation efforts please visit www.auduboninstitute.org.

To view Audubon Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to:  http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-380-Audubon_Zoo_Audubon_Aquarium_of_the_Americas