Flight of the Sihek

Zoos and aquariums do a lot of great conservation work, but historically there's been a struggle to convey those stories to the greater public.  I think that a major part of the challenge has been that some of the most critical conservation stories have involved species which might not be as familiar to the general public as lions, tigers, and pandas.  Take the story of the sihek, or Micronesian kingfisher.  It's one of the rarest birds in the world, driven to extinction in the wild by the invasive brown tree snake and only still in existence because of zoos and other breeding facilities.  Now, we are standing on the cusp of seeing that species restored to living wild.  

Sharing this story is more than a feel-good PR piece for zoos.  It's a reminder that we have a chance to save even the most imperiled of creatures - and that we have a responsibility to do so as well.