|
Orphaned ducklings
need your support.
|
W
ildlife experts at International
Bird Rescue Research Center are
hoping that bird lovers will gift
their moms an orphaned baby duck,
heron or egret instead of a box
of candy this Mother’s Day
(May 8th). With over 500 orphans
at the center, and another one thousand
expected, the adoption program is
a way to help defray the cost of
raising thousands of orphaned waterfowl
so they can be returned to the wild.
Adopt-a-bird
now
“The adoption
program we started last summer for
endangered brown pelicans was so
successful, we decided to expand
it,” explained Public Affairs
Director, Karen Benzel, “Our
program is unique because every
bird we release gets a Federal band
put on its leg. The number on the
band identifies the bird for life.
Adopters don’t
actually get the bird, but they
do get an official certificate for
the species they adopt, with the
band number of their bird and the
date and place of release.
IBRRC’s center
on the edge of the Suisun Marsh
in Cordelia has experienced first-hand
the reason it gets so many orphan
birds. On one side of the center
are the open fields and wetlands
of Suisun Marsh; on the other, what
used to be open space is now completely
built with new roads, subdivisions,
apartment complexes, hotels and
mini-malls.
Waterfowl are adaptable
to certain human actions but loss
of habitat and food sources mean
many birds are forced into areas
that are unsafe. Mallard females
who typically nest in the same area
every year, may find what was once
a wetland, is now a condo complex
with swimming pools, and a host
of dangers, including dogs, cats,
and cars. Urban sprawl creates incredible
stresses on birds and other wildlife
trying to survive in habitats that
continue to shrink or become polluted.
“What’s
so great about this program is that
it allows the public to be a part
of what we do,” said IBRRC
Director, Jay Holcomb. “Hopefully
it makes people feel a little empowered,
just by the fact one bird is out
there, that is theirs.”
Although pelican adoptions
go for $200, ducklings can be adopted
for twenty five dollars, and herons
and egrets for fifty dollars. Adoptions
include a one-year IBRRC membership.
Banded birds become
lifetime subjects of study, and
provide a great amount of useful
data for researchers. IBRRC is one
of only a few rehabilitation centers
in the US that is part of the USFWS
Federal Banding Program. Since 1972,
IBRRC has banded over 50,000 birds.
Details on IBRRC and
their adoption program can be found
on their website at www.ibrrc.org
or by calling 707-207-0380 extension
109.
Return
to list of press releases
Media contact:
Public Affairs Director
(831) 622-7588
|
