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Smithsonian zoo in Va. welcomes two chicks from species classified as extinct in the wild

By WTOP Staff

Two chicks hatched at the Smithsonian National Zoo’s campus in Front Royal, Virginia, have given hope to a species classified as extinct in the wild.

The two sihek chicks, a male and a female, were born in mid-April and join a total world sihek population of just 125.

“Every sihek chick is special, but these two are particularly precious, according to keeper Erica Royer. Parents Antonio, five, and Poki, two, are first timers and have never bred before. Their genes are not well represented in the population, making their offspring very valuable for the breeding population,” the Smithsonian wrote in a post on social media.

The sihek, also known as the Guam kingfisher, was classified as extinct in the wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in the 1980s after being wiped out by the invasive brown tree snake, according to the zoo.

As adults, the birds are around 9 inches long and weigh about as much as a tennis ball.

The Smithsonian said it is part of the Sihek Recovery Program, a global collaborative of conservationists dedicated to recovering the species, which is native to Guam.

Buffalo named Donald Trump for his golden locks is a sensation at a Bangladesh zoo

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — With his shock of golden hair and trim 700-kilogram (1,500-pound) build, Donald Trump has been drawing crowds from across Bangladesh since he arrived at the national zoo last week. The rare albino buffalo became a sensation when a farmer noticed that his blond tuft of hair resembled the distinctive locks of the U.S. president. After a video of the pale horned mammal went viral on social media, large numbers of people started showing up at the farm outside Dhaka to see him for themselves. The animal was originally meant to be slaughtered for the Muslim festival of sacrifice. But citing security concerns, the government ordered him transferred to the zoo in the capital, where large crowds are now braving sweltering heat to see him. On Tuesday, visitors pressed against the fence of the buffalo's enclosure, filming with their phones as some fathers hoisted small children on their shoulders for a better view.
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