Guam Sihek released and living in the wild on Palmyra Atoll | News, Sports, Jobs

Maui News

WAILUKU–Six-headed herons (Guam herons) are now officially living in the wild in the tropical forests of Palmyra Atoll. This release marks the first time these beautiful birds have lived in the wild since the 1980s.

High hopes are pinned on these squirrels’ wings, the result of years of work by the Squirrel Recovery Program, a global conservationist collaboration dedicated to reviving squirrels in the wild and returning them to their homeland on Guam.

The program includes partners from: Guam Department of Agriculture’s Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources (DOAG), ZSL, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Sedgwick County Zoo, Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). These partners are globally recognized leaders in animal care, conservation transplantation, ecological restoration, and wild population management, and have used their expertise to save several species that have gone extinct in the wild.

“Symbolic of the island’s beauty, our Guam Siheks achieve the seemingly impossible with their deep blue and cinnamon color reflecting our ocean-blue waters and red-orange sunsets.” Yolonda Topasna, DOAG Water and Wildlife Program Coordinator, said: “Today, Sihek were released from their aviaries! Their return to the wild is a testimony to the spirit of our people and our commitment to preserving our heritage.”

Topsana added: “I am sorry that I cannot join them at this milestone, but I dream that I will soon speak to them in CHamoru! To our Sihek, siempre un li’e’ iyon-måmi tåno’ yan tåsi. Nihi ta fan gumupu ya kumånta i CHamoru na kånta todu i lugåt (you will surely see our homeland, our sea, and we will fly together and sing CHamoru songs everywhere).”

A total of nine young birds (four females and five males) were hand-raised at the Sedgwick County Zoo for this historic rewilding over the past few months. AZA partners contributing eggs or young chicks to this effort include Brookfield Zoo, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, Disney’s Animal Kingdom (Disney’s Animals, Science & Environment), the National Aviary, and the Sedgwick County Zoo. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) coordinated the egg selection and transfer and managed the birds’ care in conjunction with ZSL staff.

Sihek made their first trip from Wichita, Kansas, to temporary aviaries at the Nature Preserve and Research Station on Cooper Island in Palmyra Atoll on August 28, 2024. Experts are caring for the palm-sized birds, ensuring they are safely ensconced in their aviaries, acclimated to their new home and fed daily.

The birds displayed some very promising behaviors, such as eating immediately, instinctively preening their feathers when they saw the first rain, and successfully hunting spiders, geckos, and crabs, which they rely on for food.

Professor John Ewen, Head of the ZSL Institute of Zoology and Sihek Recovery Programme Team, said: “This is a momentous day that has been decades in the making. Wildlife is under threat around the world, and the success of seeing these birds fly in the wild shows once again that zoos, scientists and conservationists – working with governments and policy makers – have the power to take huge steps to protect species and save them from extinction.”

Each bird underwent a health check-up before release from the aviaries. Each bird was fitted with a small radio tracker before release so the project team could track their movements as they settled into their new habitat on the atoll. The bird is a territorial species and the team expects the birds to establish their home ranges quickly, which will help with locating and monitoring them, with a special focus on habitat use, foraging and eventual breeding. Additional food will also be available to assist with their transition to the wild.

“Palmyra Atoll is an ideal location to rewild these magnificent birds on their return journey to Guam,” says Alex Wegmann, TNC’s Chief Island Resilience Scientist. “It is one of the healthiest land and ocean ecosystems on the planet, free from invasive predators such as rats, carefully studied and monitored, and fully protected as a national wildlife refuge and TNC conservation area. Extensive research shows that the Palmyra forests are ideal for the sihek and that its introduction would have minimal impact on native wildlife there.

First listed under the Guam Endangered Species Act in 1982, the sihek was later added to the U.S. Endangered Species List in 1984. Native to the forests of Guam and culturally important to the CHamoru* people, the sihek has been extinct in the wild since 1988 due to hunting by the invasive brown tree snake. Guam DOAG and AZA have rescued 29 sihek and established a captive care program that currently houses 127 adult sihek in 25 institutions nationwide.

Sedgwick County Zoo President and CEO Scott Newland added: “AZA partners have proudly maintained a population of Sihek in human care since 1988. This release would not have been possible without the dedication of our bird breeders and the support of zoos. Our work with this species has provided us with valuable information and allowed us to tailor this release to give the birds the best chance of success. For AZA, this release represents the culmination of nearly 40 years of collaboration, research and dedication to one day seeing Sihek fly back to Guam.”

“We’re showing that passion and partnership can make amazing things happen” “The recovery program manager for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Megan Laut, says: “The diverse skill sets and contributions of each partner have brought us to this historic milestone and will inform our efforts to increase the global population of cichlid and take meaningful steps to return cichlid to Guam.”

Palmyra Atoll was chosen as the first location for the release of the squirrel into the wild because it is completely protected and free of invasive predators. Palmyra Atoll is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge and is protected for up to 50 nautical miles by the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, one of the largest strips of ocean and islands protected under a single jurisdiction in the world. The Nature Conservancy operates a Sanctuary and Research Station at Palmyra on Cooper Island. These facilities facilitate globally significant ocean, coral reef and island research and restoration, such as this squirrel project. The atoll will provide a safe, wild home for the squirrel to thrive and establish a breeding population, with the ultimate goal of one day returning the species to Guam once the threat from snakes is eliminated.

At this time, six of the nine sihek were deemed ready for release. The remaining three sihek will be released individually once each bird has reached the milestones required for survival in the wild. This approach provides flexibility as some birds may need more time to prepare for life in the wild. Sihek Recovery Program partners plan to continue to support the population annually, with a goal of establishing 10 sihek breeding pairs.

This introduction of sihek to Palmyra will allow Sihek Recovery Program partners time to monitor and learn how sihek respond to reintroduction to the wild. This initial release of sihek will help refine and adapt future releases and monitoring techniques, and will provide an important step toward the goal of returning sihek to their natural home on Guam.

n The name CHamoru is written with a capital H. Guam is written Guåhan in the CHamoru language. The CHamoru people call the Guam heron the sihek.