by NEWS STAFF
Posted Oct 20, 2016 5:44 pm EDT
A state-of-the-art breeding
facility – the first of its kind in Canada – has opened in Calgary to help
boost the population of an endangered bird: the greater sage-grouse.
The birds were once common in
Canada’s prairie region but they are now reaching dangerously low levels with
fewer than 400 left across the country, according to information provided by
The Calgary Zoo.
In 2013, the federal government
announced an emergency order to protect the species.
“I see the greater sage-grouse as
an iconic part of our Canadian heritage; a key component of our prairie
ecosystem,” states Dr. Axel Moehrenschlager, director of conservation &
science, in a news release provided by The Calgary Zoo.
Habitat destruction and human
development have caused the wild population numbers to greatly diminish. There
are currently 18 sage-grouse in The Calgary Zoo’s new facility.
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