This stunning blue and cinnamon-coloured bird has made an incredible comeback from being lost to the wild since 1988, with 127 now thriving in captivity. The documentary tells the positive side of how dedicated people are breaking new ground to save animals like them by bringing these specific species back home in a remote atoll Palmyra Atoll.
The transformation from the Brink of Extinction to a Bright Future.
Since over three decades ago, it was thought the Guam kingfisher — or ‘sihek’ — had disappeared in the wild, falling prey to an invasive brown tree snake that decimated bird life on the island of Guam.
However, against all odds, conservationists have succeeded in saving this species from extinction. Over a period of years, 29 Guam kingfishers have been rescued in that way and taken to zoos around the United States where teams of rehabbers worked excruciatingly hard to breed these palm-sized birds.
And finally, many years of effort later, there are now 127 animals and the stage is set for a reintroduction to occur. Six Guam kingfishers were released back into the wild, lush forests of Palmyra Atoll — a predator-free island at the northern end of the Line Islands in the central Pacific Ocean and an ideal sanctuary for wildlife— on Sept. 23, 2023.
Homecoming is a Delicate Ballet
It follows a carefully followed conservation program, the Sihek Recovery Program, that led to the release of Guam kingfishers back in their native habitat. The project, led by the USA Fish and Wildlife Service in conjunction with the Zoological Society of London, saw many zoos acting together in a synchronised manner to return Chatham Island Taiko back into the wild.
The birds had been driven into crates and then to the dockside, awaiting shipment on Monday (Hawaiian time) after months of preparation at Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, reinforced by Tonaquint Nature Center’ curator Rick Fridell — along with zoo staff from Inyokern– for wildlife quarantine. Palmyra Atoll is approximately 3,600 miles southeast of Guam but Gov. Dedicated conservationists oversaw the acclimation of the birds there.
But six of the birds were declared ready for release, with three others remaining on the island to allow them more time to acclimate. Each of these birds will be released in private by the team when the time is right so that they can begin this new chapter of life with minimal stress.
Conclusion
The successful comeback of the Guam kingfisher in its native land speaks volumes for conservation and the indomitable spirit of Mother Nature. On a happier note, this story proves that when people of all disciplines and organizations band together in order to save species on the verge of extinction, good things can come out of it — just another indication that one does not have to fight back-to-back in hand-to-hand combat with Mother Nature for our planet’s biodiversity. In the flight of these Guam kingfishers, we are encouraged to safeguard our heritage, to recognise that the preservation of a single bird can have a deep influence on life’s most fragile domains.
