SCOTLAND NECK, N.C. (WITN) – A wildlife park in Eastern Carolina has been selected to care for an endangered duck species from Brazil.
Sylvan Heights Bird Park is one of only two sanctuaries outside Brazil to welcome the elusive Brazilian Mergansers, along with Prague Zoo in the Czech Republic.
The species is considered one of the most critically endangered ducks in the world, with an estimated total of only 50 to 250.
Park officials attribute the decline to worsening water quality in rivers and streams, which is often caused by agricultural practices, soil erosion, and building dams.
“The Brazilian Merganser is a species on the brink,” says Dr. Dustin Foote, Director of Aviculture at Sylvan Heights Bird Park. “However, there’s a really great group of people and organizations that have been working together to help safeguard this species from extinction.”
Potential breeding pairs were sent to both parks to increase the likelihood of survival and reproduction.
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