The Fading Flamingos of Kamfers Dam

For the last week, much of the zoo world's bird community has been preoccupied with an unfolding crisis in South Africa.  A very important breeding colony of lesser flamingos at Kamfers Dam is seriously threatened by a severe drought.  The water reserves are shrinking rapidly, resulting in the abandonment of hundreds, possibly thousands, of flamingo eggs and chicks.

We could call it a natural disaster - except it's not quite natural.  The dam itself isn't a natural water source, being the byproduct of water accumulation from the nearby city of Kimberley.  The island on which the birds nest in man-made (another example of the supposed "wild" being managed more and more like a zoo).  The flamingos have come to greatly rely on this sanctuary.  Although they have a broad range, lesser flamingos only nest in a tiny handful of sites worldwide, congregating in those sites in tremendous numbers.  As those sites are lost due to human disturbance, as many seem in peril of, the fate of the species becomes more dire.  The loss of the Kamfers Dam population would have extremely serious consequences.

So far, hundreds of chicks have been collected and moved to the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa in Pretoria and a few related facilities for rearing and rehabilitation.  As I'm sure you can imagine, this is taxing their resources to the limit and they are scrambling to come up with the funds and equipment needed to carry out the rescue.  Many international zoos are sending funds in, with some also offering to send staff members raised in flamingo hand-rearing.  Hopefully, chicks can be successfully reared and reunited with their (highly nomadic) flocks in the future, while the habitat at Kamfers can be saved.

Incidents like this remind me of the vital importance of zoos.  How many other organizations could mobilize so quickly for such a massive undertaking?  Who else has nearly as much experience in handraising animals, or in the veterinary care of flamingos?  If some birds prove to be nonreleasable, who else would be able to find homes for them where they can live with other flamingos in a safe, enriched environment?  I'm so proud that some people that I consider friends and colleagues are leading the fight on the US end to save these beautiful, endearing little birds.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go back upstairs and try to find my passport.  You know... just in case.

PS: Images of orphaned or abandoned flamingo chicks certainly can tug at the heartstrings... and scammers are counting on that.  A few shady people have popped up in the aftermath of this flamingo crisis to try and swindle some money out of folks in the name of saving the birds.  Right now, the Pan-African Association of Zoos and Aquariums (Africa's version of AZA) is marshaling the funds that come in and directing them to partners who are helping with the project.  If you are going to give, make sure it is to an actual partner of the project, such as BirdLife South Africa, not some fly-by-night con-artist.