WildCare Center for Avian Health in the
Galapagos Islands

Background

As every student of Darwin realizes, the Galapagos Islands make up one of the most remarkable oceanic ecosystems in the world. The distinctiveness of Galapagos wildlife contributed to Darwin's formulation of the theory of evolution by natural selection. In contrast to the high number of bird extinctions in other island ecosystems, as best exemplified in Hawaii, the avian populations in Galápagos have not been devastated by introduced avian diseases.In fact, not one endemic bird species has gone extinct, though this may soon change. A number of species are on the brink of extinction.One major threat to avian survival in Galápagos is the risk of disease from introduced pathogens. The relatively sheltered Pacific environment that “protects” these birds also makes them immunologically naïve and vulnerable to introduced pathogens.The Saint Louis Zoo and University of Missouri-St. Louis, working with their partnering organizations, recognize this risk and have established an “early warning system” based on long-term disease monitoring of Galápagos birds to prevent the spread of avian diseases similar to those that have devastated the bird populations of Hawaii and other Pacific island systems.

St. Louis Interest

The Saint Louis Zoo and UMSL were happy to work with the Charles Darwin Foundation and Galapagos National Park to develop the first-ever avian health program in the Galápagos. With the Zoo's long history of quality avian health care and UMSL's experience with Galápagos bird studies, this partnership makes an excellent leader in this effort. Since our involvement in Galápagos in 2001, the Zoo and UMSL have successfully developed training courses for Ecuadorian personnel, held veterinary workshops in Galápagos, conducted major biomedical surveys and documented the increasing threat to endemic bird health from diseases associated with the growing poultry industry in the islands. The Conservation Center for Avian Health in the Galápagos Islands is essential not only for saving some of the rarest and most fascinating species in the world, but also for benefiting captive birds, since we can apply the lessons learned while studying wild birds to improved husbandry and health care for the Saint Louis Zoo collection.

Goal

Our goal is to maintain a "zero extinction" rate - in contrast to Hawaii, where many endemic bird species have gone extinct - by monitoring avian health in the Galápagos Islands. Additionally, in collaboration with our partners, we work to ensure that preventive measures are implemented that protect against the introduction of exotic pathogens to Galápagos and thus avert the devastating effects of such pathogens on this unique avifauna.

Conservation Science

The Saint Louis Zoo-UMSL is leading biomedical surveys to establish the presence or absence of avian pathogens in free-ranging bird species in Galápagos. Many of these pathogens cause diseases with high morbidity and/or mortality in wild bird species globally. The Zoo currently has a full-time veterinary epidemiologist in residence at the Charles Darwin Station in Galápagos, conducting field and laboratory research with our colleagues there. Additionally, UMSL staff, Zoo staff and an average of 10 graduate students from UMSL come to Galápagos for three months each summer to conduct genetic and health studies on a variety of avian species. Current projects include 1) understanding the threats associated with the introduction of exotic pathogens such as avian malaria (a primary cause of Hawaiian bird extinctions) and West Nile virus on endemic birds and working to minimize these threats; 2) determination of infectious and parasitic agents in domestic poultry, as these birds pose an increasingly important threat at the "wildlife-domestic animal interface" in Galápagos; and 3) leading a domestic and wild bird health study on Floreana Island for the re-introduction of Floreana mockingbirds, one of the rarest birds in the world, a strategy necessary to avert the first Galápagos bird extinction in the short term. Also, we work closely with our partners to assess the need and feasibility of captive breeding of critically endangered species such as the mangrove finch and Floreana mockingbird at the Charles Darwin Station to provide "insurance" for wild populations.

Partners

Des Lee Professorship in Zoological Studies
at the University of Missouri-St. Louis
Charles Darwin Research Station
Galapagos National Parks
Genetics, Pathology, Epidemiology Laboratory of Galápagos