In partnership with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Zoo Miami annually supports the Red Siskin Initiative. The Red Siskin Initiative is a public and private institutional partnership working towards restoring and maintaining self-sustaining populations of the critically endangered Red Siskin in its natural habitat.
The NGO Provita is leading the efforts in Venezuela by doing fieldwork and discovering their ecology in intact and altered landscapes. They work with local coffee and cacao farmers to get their farms certified as bird-friendly. This helps the Red Siskin because they willutilize shade grown plantations and this also helps the farmers sell their products at a premium, which better supports their livelihood and prevent them from converting to row crops. Their team also works to rescue Red Siskins consficated in the illegal wildlife trade and use them to establish breeding colonies at the Red Siskin Conservation Center for eventual reintroduction.
Along with supporting the Red Siskin Initiative in their native range, Zoo Miami is working in the United States with our partners to try and create a sustainable population here and our Animal Science team has had success!
To find out more about the Red Siskin Initiative click on the button below: