October 25, 2017 by Joann Adkins
Conservation biologist Paul
Reillo is torn between two worlds in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and
Maria—one of swift action and one of waiting.
There is little time to rest.
More than 200 animals, many fighting extinction, are relying on him. The FIU
scientist is the founder of the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation (RSCF), a
partner in FIU's Tropical Conservation Institute (TCI), which offers safe
haven, captive breeding programs and field-based conservation to help save
endangered species. In a
matter of two weeks, two species of birds on the brink of extinction were dealt
devastating blows when Hurricanes Irma and Maria crossed the Caribbean, leaving
devastation in their wakes. The team at the Tropical Conservation Institute
knows it is facing an unprecedented conservation crisis.
Working
Hurricane Irma caused more than
$200,000 in damages at RSCF's property in Loxahatchee, Fla. Little could be
done to save enclosures and fences from the storm, but Reillo and his team
secured the animals, including 40 endangered east African bongo antelopes, 35
primates including endangered golden lion tamarins, nearly 100 parrots
representing a variety of threatened and endangered species and 42 critically
endangered Florida grasshopper sparrows.
The TCI team is putting in long
hours to rebuild what was destroyed at the RSCF facility and to help the
animals recover from the stress brought on by the storm. The Florida
grasshopper sparrows are the greatest cause for concern. It is the world's most
endangered bird with less than 100 remaining in the wild before Irma. The team
fears the hurricane has crippled the wild population which resides exclusively
in the prairie grasses of Central Florida. They are working with state and
federal wildlife officials on strategies to help preserve the small number of
birds that remain on the planet.
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