Rare Ducklings Debut at the Zoo
June 21, 2011
Eight critically endangered Chinese merganser ducklings are now waddling about the Tisch Children’s Zoo. The hatching represents the first of its kind for any North American zoo.
The eight ducklings hatched on April 26 to one of the zoo’s two breeding pairs of Chinese mergansers. These sea ducks, also known as scaly-sided mergansers, are native to eastern Asia. Here at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Central Park Zoo, they are part of the largest public collection of sea ducks and represent the only Chinese mergansers in any North American zoo.
WCS experts hope to answer key conservation questions about the species through the captive breeding program.
“These hatchlings are a step in the right direction for the species,” said Jeff Sailer, WCS’s Director of City Zoos. “Chinese merganser populations are rapidly deteriorating and by successfully breeding them in captivity, we may be able to ensure a future for this species as a whole.”
The Chinese merganser is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List, with populations hovering between an estimated 1,000 and 2,500 individuals, and falling. The decline is due to habitat destruction, pollution, illegal hunting, and human disturbance of the sea ducks’ breeding territory.
Many species of waterfowl are in danger of disappearing in the wild, and are also generally no longer as well represented in zoos as they once were. Zoos play a vital role in raising the population numbers of endangered species like the Chinese merganser.
