Zoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal. To meet the Interns, read the Intern Profiles.

Animal Care Manager Dave Orndorff led us on a guided tour of the bird aviaries and enclosures at the San Diego Zoo. Our tour encompassed quite a few places: the cozy and lush hummingbird aviary, the enormous three-story Owens Rain Forest Aviary, the Flamingo Lagoon at the Zoo’s entrance, and the bird food preparation area.

We began near the Zoo entrance, and Mr. Orndorff threw many staggering statistics at us. The San Diego Zoo has an incredibly broad range of birds; its collection is actually the largest in all of North America. There are 2,254 individual birds here, representing 390 species. This first number is constantly fluctuating because migratory birds, otherwise known as freeloaders, are frequent visitors to the Zoo. Mallard ducks often take respite in open exhibits and stay throughout the winter season. Unfortunately for the bird keepers at the Zoo, this species of waterfowl is extremely good at reproducing. Occasionally, keepers have to put out extra food to ensure that resident birds get fed along with their visiting relatives.

Mr. Orndorff took us to the exhibit of an extinct bird. The Micronesian kingfisher is actually extinct in the wild on the island of Guam. The population of birds and the island’s food chain was completely altered following the introduction of a foreign species, the brown tree snake. On this island, there are no natural predators to keep the population of snakes in check. This has led to the near extinction of several bird species, and now brown tree snakes outnumber their prey. This relationship is not sustainable, for either of the animals involved. Currently, conservation programs are in place for Micronesian kingfishers and have thus far been fairly successful. However, the problem will persist as long as non-native snakes live on the island, and efforts to release kingfishers back into the wild will be futile. Snake eradication is ongoing on the island of Guam but is not solving the problem fast enough. Despite this, scientists do not favor the introduction of yet another foreign species to reduce the number of snakes; any additional disruptions to the ecosystem may have other unintended consequences. It is presumed that any further human interference will lead to an even more complicated situation.

Scientists, and people in general, are becoming more aware of their role in the global community, and they are beginning to realize that human beings are one simple part, a puzzle piece, in the grand picture of life. By realizing this, people are enabling themselves to make changes and they are beginning to work together. Humans have learned a few things from the damage they have created, and they are ready to use this knowledge to benefit the world.

-Megan, Zoo InternQuest, The Real World Team

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