Mystic Aquarium gets $2M to conserve species
From developing penguin “poop profiles” to caring for cold-stunned sea turtles, Mystic Aquarium's ongoing efforts to save endangered species received a boost recently with $2 million in federal funding, the aquarium announced.
The money is meant to bolster the nonprofit organization's work to conserve federally protected species such as African penguins, Kemp's ridley sea turtles, North Atlantic right whales, walruses, and beluga whales. “Scientists believe that we are in the midst of what is being called the sixth mass extinction event, with one-quarter of marine mammals, one-half of penguins, and virtually all species of sea turtles threatened with extinction,” Katie Cubina, the aquarium's senior vice president for mission programs, said.
Non-intrusive approaches are necessary when studying federally protected species in the wild, Cubina said Monday.
“More often than not, it's a hands-off policy,” she said.
The penguin guano profiles are a case in point. African penguin populations have plummeted to just 2% of its historical numbers due
mainly to climate change, over-fishing, and pollution. The aquarium's research team recently created a method of analyzing the birds' droppings to learn about their diet, immune health, and reproductive status while avoiding the need for direct
handling.
For over two decades, Mystic's animal care team has traveled to South Africa to work with the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) to help care for orphaned penguin chicks and respond to oil spill disasters. Now, the aquarium's research and education teams will join the effort, “conducting this vital health assessment work in South Africa and documenting the plight of African penguins and the important restoration work needed to save this species from extinction,” a news release said.
The team will make the trip later this year or in 2025, Cubina said.
The nonprofit aquarium also highlighted ongoing efforts to rescue and rehabilitate threatened and endangered sea turtles and return them to warm-water homes. Each year, about a dozen critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles are brought to the aquarium for several months of rehabilitation after being found cold-shocked on Cape Cod. Currently, 12 turtles are in care and are likely to be released into more hospitable waters in the near future, Cubina said.
The Kemp's ridley is the smallest and most endangered of the world's sea turtles. They are famous in the Gulf of Mexico, where they gather in the thousands to lay eggs en mass on the same stretches of beach.
The federal funding also is to be used for ongoing efforts to help the Cook Inlet beluga whale population in Alaska, along with right whales and walruses.
Distributed through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the money also will enable Mystic to reach out to its 800,000 annual visitors about endangered species conservation and expand its education, citizen science and community engagement programs, which reach more than 100,000 youth and educators annually, museum officials said.
“The urgency around saving African penguins, sea turtles, and whales from extinction has never been greater,” Cubina said. “Mystic Aquarium is excited to bring together its scientific, animal care, and education teams to work with partners across the globe to help save endangered species.”