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12 Chicago Zoological Society • Annual Report 2010 2010 Bir ths by Numbers 321 mammals 126 birds 33 fish 14 reptiles 12 amphibians SOUND THE TRUMPETS Trumpeter swans all but disappeared from the Midwest in the late 1800s and early 1900s. These magnificent birds rely on wetlands, 98% of which have been lost in our region. To protect remaining trumpeter swans and help safeguard their future, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began captive breeding programs with the goal of reintroducing the swans in protected wetland areas. Since the early 1980s, the Chicago Zoological Society has participated in such programs, first with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Trumpeter Swan Restoration to which we provided 10 eggs and 28 cygnets, and then the Iowa State Trumpeter Swan Restoration Program that received 17 Brookfield Zoo-bred swans. Last May, our resident mother and father swans welcomed five more cygnets. Healthy and able to survive on their own, they were released in Iowa wetlands this past fall. Thanks to partnerships like these, trumpeter swan numbers are blossoming with great success. Iowa’s program has released nearly 1,000 swans to the wild with several pairs nesting in southern Minnesota and Wisconsin. A successful nest has been established in Illinois for the first time in 170 years and in Missouri for the first time in more than 140 years. GUINEA FOWL These partridge-like birds became part of a new CZS animal mentoring program. Brookfield Zoo guests are accustomed to seeing resident peafowl roaming the grounds. To encourage our new clutch of guinea fowl to do the same, a peafowl hen took them under her wing, helping to rear the guinea fowl chicks, showing them the ropes and the best ways to avoid predators. Keep an eye out in the park this summer for our new additions. MEXICAN GRAY WOLF Mexican gray wolves are the most endangered wolves in North America and would be extinct if not for zoos and other conservation organizations. CZS is a partner in an international recovery program for these animals—a collaborative effort to restore dwindling populations, gather information about wolf behavior, and select candidates for release into a protected semi-wild and ultimately a wild habitat. Upon the recommendation of the AZA Mexican Gray Wolf Species Survival Plan, Brookfield Zoo welcomed eight wolves: three males and five females, littermates from The Endangered Wolf Center in Missouri. All eight can be seen in the new Great Bear Wilderness exhibit. FLYING MONKEYS Sky-searching zoo-goers were treated to a glimpse of gold in the trees last summer and fall. CZS released two golden lion tamarins on the grounds near Indian Lake to foster and track their ability to thrive in the semi-wild. Delighting guests were Diabo and Delilah, members of the Golden Lion Tamarin Species Survival Plan. The first time we temporarily released golden lion tamarins in Indian Lake woods was in 1993. Seven years later, we sent six tamarins to Brazil to help repopulate areas where the species had disappeared. Participating AZA zoos, along with the Brazilian government and farmers, are working to boost tamarin populations and preserve rainforest corridors where a reintroduction program has been established. More than 150 tamarins have been released in the wild, and successful reproduction has resulted in an additional 550 animals in the wild population. PRZEWALSKI’S HORSES For the first time in nearly a decade, these wild horses, named for Colonel Nikolai Przewalski, the first Western scientist to study them, can be seen at Brookfield Zoo. Przewalski’s are the only surviving ancestor of domesticated horses, and their numbers have faltered nearly to the point of extinction due to human activity and habitat destruction. CZS participates in the AZA Przewalski’s Horse Species Survival Plan, and this successful breeding program is helping populations to rebound. In fact, nearly 400 have been reintroduced to the wild in their native Mongolia. Brookfield Zoo guests can say hello to Olivia, April, and May in a newly refurbished habitat on the Zoo’s north side. ALL ABOUT ANTELOPES The yellow-backed duiker is an African forest antelope whose numbers are diminishing due to bush meat hunting. An eagerly awaited female (more males have been born as part of the AZA’s Population Management Plan) was born last May. A distant cousin of our duiker, the klipspringer, also welcomed an offspring last year. Our newest klipspringer (which means rock jumper in Afrikaans), a female, made her debut in August. Visit her in Habitat Africa! The Forest. 13 Chicago Zoological Society • Annual Report 2010
14 Chicago Zoological Society • Annual Report 2010 Inspiring Conservation Leaders The Chicago Zoological Society is known internationally for powerful exhibits and programs that challenge zoo-goers to transcend their role as guests to become environmental advocates. <strong>Each</strong> year, CZS’s Brookfield Zoo draws more than two million visitors; but, we can do better. To activate a conservation movement that can save our planet, we must discover new ways to attract individuals who do not tradition- ally visit zoos, as well as engage and educate deep within our own neighborhoods and throughout communities across the globe. We cannot do this alone, but we can do this together by establishing powerful relationships with like-minded organizations to help accomplish conservation action; by train- ing leaders who will then train others; and by exploring new languages and new media. <strong>Each</strong> time we connect someone new to nature and wildlife—and empower them to protect it— we are changing the world. 15 Chicago Zoological Society • Annual Report 2010
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