September 7, 1995
From Correspondent Lisa Price
CHICAGO (CNN) -- Small, but steady on their feet, the piping
plovers in Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo are lucky to be alive.
The feathered creatures were the subjects of an emergency
rescue from the rising flood waters of the Missouri River in
North Dakota.
(1.02M QuickTime Movie)
About 30 unhatched eggs were scooped up and scurried to safety by zoo curators and wildlife workers, despite the protests of their mother.
"She was trying -- very, very persistently trying -- to lead
us away from their nests in a protective manner," said bird
curator Anita Cramm. "It made it so hard to go in there and
take those eggs, but we knew that it was going to be flooded,
and the eggs would be completely lost."
For northern great plain plovers, the elements aren't the only threat. Much of their natural habitat along the country's river banks has been ruined by human recreational use. In 1991, wildlife experts reported only 17 pairs, just 34 birds, left in the Great Lakes region.
Piping plovers are among more than 90 American birds on the
threatened or endangered species list. "A lot of what we
focused on in the past is endangered species around the
world, and what a lot of people don't realize is we have a
lot of endangered species right here in the United States,"
said Kevin Bell of the Lincoln Park Zoo.
Though piping plovers survive and even flourish in other parts of the country, experts believe it is vital that the species remains a part of the ecosystem in the Midwest. (Cramm's comments - 100K aiff)
By studying the birds in captivity, curators hope to learn how to keep the piping plover a part of nature forever.
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