Development of restoration techniques for Hawaiian thrushes: Collection of wild eggs, artificial incubation, hand-rearing, captive-breeding, and re-introduction to the wild

Abstract

Respiratory function and immunological status were studied in 40 cocoa and 53 flour processing workers employed as packers in a confectionry industry and in 65 unexposed control workers in the same industry. A high prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms was recorded in exposed workers, varying from 5.0% to 30.0% in cocoa workers and from 5.7% to 28.3% in flour workers. Occupational asthma was diagnosed in 2 (5%) of the cocoa workers and in 3 (5.7%) of the flour workers. None of the control workers suffered from occupational asthma. The prevalence of almost all chronic respiratory symptoms was significantly greater in cocoa and flour workers than in control workers. There was also a high prevalence of acute symptoms that developed during the work shift, being highest for cough (cocoa: 57.5%; flour: 50.9%) and eye irritation (cocoa: 50.0%; flour: 54.7%). Significant across‐shift reductions of ventilatory capacity were recorded in exposed workers, being largest for flow rates at 50% and the last 25% of the vital capacity on maximum expiratory flow‐volume (MEFV) curves (FEF50, FEF75). The prevalence of positive skin tests for cocoa (60.2%) was significantly higher than the prevalence of positive skin tests for flour (25.8%) among the 93 exposed workers (p < 0.05). Control workers had significantly lower prevalences of positive skin tests to cocoa (4.6%) and flour (12.3%) than exposed workers (p < 0.01). Increased total serum IgE levels were found in 17.5% of cocoa and in 18.7% of flour workers; none of the control workers had increased IgE levels. Bronchoprovocation testing demonstrated significant decreases in lung function following inhalation of cocoa dust extract and flour dust in workers with respiratory symptoms and large across‐shift reductions in lung function. Dust concentrations in the working environment were higher than those recommended by Croatian standards. These data suggest that workers employed in the processing of cocoa and flour may be at a high risk for the development of allergic sensitization and respiratory impairment. Am. J. Ind. Med. 33:24–32, 1998 © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Eelgrass restoration by seed maintains genetic diversity: case study from a coastal bay system

“…Both strategies have been adopted widely, such as when salmon hatcheries that have captive animals sourced from a variety of locations have been used to mitigate population declines in the wild (Waples 1991(Waples , 1994. Captive breeding and reintroduction of young into wild populations also have been employed as tactics to increase the genetic diversity of the endangered Hawaiian thrush and big horn sheep (Kuehler et al 2000, Ostermann et al 2001). However, this strategy, where material is sourced from a variety of origins, has also been criticized, because new genotypes are introduced into remnant populations and this potentially results in less fit progeny (Knapp & Dyer 1998).…”

Egg size, fertility, hatchability, and chick survivability in captive California condors (Gymnogyps californianus)

“…Successful captive breeding programs for the restoration of critically endangered avian species, such as the Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) [Cade et al, 1988], California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) [Kuehler and Witman, 1988], San Clemente loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus mearnsi) [Farabaugh et al, 2002], and a variety of Hawaiian forest birds [Kuehler et al, 2000[Kuehler et al, , 2001 require high rates of viable fertile eggs, hatchability, and chick survivability for such programs to be successful. Although detailed records on egg weight, length, breadth, fertility, and/or viability, along with hatchability and chick survivability, are routinely maintained in captive propagation programs, few of the data from such records have been published.…”

Survival, dispersal, and home-range establishment of reintroduced captive-bred puaiohi, Myadestes palmeri

“…Beginning in 1995, The Peregrine Fund (the Hawaii Program is now managed by the Zoological Society of San Diego, ZSSD), developed methods for hatching, rearing, and releasing Hawaiian thrushes using eggs collected from the omao Myadestes obscurus, the puaiohi's closest living relative (Kuehler et al, 2000). Follow-up monitoring demonstrated that year-old omao reared in captivity from wild-collected eggs demonstrated higher site fidelity than adults translocated from the wild (Fancy et al, 2001).…”