Latest news with #AyeshahAl-Humaidhi
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Somerset conservation center helps repopulate endangered species
FAIRHOPE, Pa. (WTAJ) — Local conservationists are raising awareness about dozens of species with animals at risk of extinction. The International Conservation Center in Somerset County, a branch of the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium, houses four different species of these animals on up to 30 acres of land each. These animals include bison, camels, reindeer and their infamous African elephants. 'You need a lot of space,' the conservation center's director Ayeshah Al-Humaidhi said. 'You need a lot of space. Most zoos are limited by their footprint and can only house so many elephants in a healthy, both mentally and physically, environment. Here we have 1000 acres. We have a lot of space to work with and a lot of opportunity for expansion when necessary.' Local beekeeper emphasizes the importance of honeybees for the environment Their goal is to help create climates where the animals can breed and repopulate while not being comfortable around humans. They want to have them stay in touch with their wild side. 'We're looking at certain species that we want to breed for reintroduction, and we don't want them to become human-focused and build relationships with humans because that actually sets them up to fail in the wild,' Al-Humaidhi said. Some of these animals are not grounds for reintroduction into the wild, like the African elephant. But more are in the works to happen, including plans to bring back the Allegheny Woodrat. 'Unfortunately, their numbers are dwindling due to disease that's being introduced by other wild animals,' Al-Humaidhi added. 'So we will be building habitats there. So these animals are being bred in institutions. However, we're looking at a place where they can learn to be wild animals and ensure that they're successful.' As time goes on, they want to help the cause that makes the circle of life and each ecosystem continue to run for generations to come. 'Animals are dependent on each other,' Al-Humaidhi said. 'We might not be. It might not be obvious to us, but there is a cycle of life.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Where the buffalo roam: Somerset County conservation center adds bison
SOMERSET, Pa. – The Pittsburgh zoo has added one of the nation's most iconic creatures, the American bison, to its sprawling Somerset County conservation center. Three female bison and a male 'bull' – described as some of the purest stock in North America – have been transferred to the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium's International Conservation Center from a prairie-based nature reserve in central Montana, zoo officials said in a release to media. 'This is the beginning of an exciting breeding and reintroduction program that will repatriate bison to indigenous territories across the United States,' said ICC Director Ayeshah Al- Humaidhi. 'The herd will also provide training opportunities for animal care managers across zoological institutions and our Native American partners.' Tens of millions of American bison, often called buffalo, were once abundant across the plains and as far east as New York, Pennsylvania and Florida, according to the National Park Service. Over the span of generations, European settlers wiped out herds in Pennsylvania and nearly drove the species to U.S. extinction. The species is listed as 'near threatened,' which is closed to endangered status, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The Pittsburgh Zoo and American Prairie, which provided the bison, are part of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums' Bison Saving Animals from Extinction (SAFE) program, which is working to share its resources with North American partners, including Indigenous groups, as part of a broader effort to enable bison populations to thrive again, zoo officials said. 'Based on AZA SAFE recommendations, we will actively look for partners to receive any bison that are bred at the ICC,' said Al-Humaidhi. Genetic integrity plays an important role in bison conservation, he said. Given that many bison bred with cattle over centuries, the Saving Animals from Extinction program incorporates the most genetically pure bison and pays close attention to genetic diversity to manage the health of its herds. At the International Conservation Center in Fairhope, the goal will be to encourage breeding among a male and three females who are purer stock, officials said. 'We are thrilled to partner with the ICC and contribute to this important new program to help grow bison populations across North America,' said Scott Heidebrink, Director of Landscape Stewardship for American Prairie. 'We have spent the past 20 years restoring bison to their native prairie home and look forward to seeing even more of these iconic mammals on this historic landscape.' Zoo officials first told The Tribune-Democrat about plans to add bison to the historically elephant-focused conservation center in June 2023. The four bison arrived in December and are now 8 months old, officials said. As new residents of the center, the bison will also serve as Pennsylvania ambassadors for their species, the Pittsburgh zoo wrote, 'helping visitors understand the vital role they play in the ecosystem as a keystone species and the importance of preserving their natural habitats.'
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Purest of bison stock welcomed to International Conservation Center in Fairhope
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium's International Conservation Center in Somerset County has welcomed one of North America's most iconic species – the American Bison. Four bison – one male and three females – arrived at the ICC in Fairhope in December. They were born this past summer and are approximately 8 months old. The bison represent the purest bison stock in North America and came to the zoo through a partnership with American Prairie, a prairie-based nature reserve in Central Montana, according to a press release. 'This is the beginning of an exciting breeding and reintroduction program that will repatriate bison to indigenous territories across the United States,' said ICC Director Ayeshah Al-Humaidhi in the press release. 'The herd will also provide training opportunities for animal care managers across zoological institutions and our Native American partners.' More: International Conservation Center offers tours, camping and more, including elephants The Pittsburgh Zoo and American Prairie are both part of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums' Bison Saving Animals from Extinction (SAFE) program, which has the goal of merging the resources of AZA facilities across North America with valuable external partners, including Indigenous groups, to recover bison and restore its native North American prairie habitat. Bison, also commonly known as buffalo, are North America's largest land animals, as well as the official mammal of the United States. Though the animals once grazed the plains of most of the U.S. in the millions, their population dwindled to a little over a thousand at the turn of the 20th century because of hunting and habitat loss, according to the press release. Genetic integrity plays an important role in bison conservation. Most of the animals today are not pure bison, but genetically mixed with cattle. There are likely few bison that do not have some level of cattle genes in their lineage. The program incorporates the most genetically pure bison and pays careful attention to genetic diversity to manage the health of its herds. "Wild bison experienced severe population bottlenecks in the 19th century. During that time, bison hybridized with cattle and as a result, very few (if any) pure bison remain in the wild," said Dr. Shafkat Khan of the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, in an email. "Our bison came from the American Prairie in Montana, which carefully sources and manages their herd to ensure that their bison are as wildtype as possible. Partners for field reintroduction programs value bison sourced from the wild that behave as wild bison, and we are looking forward to providing field partners with these bison from the ICC." Through preservation efforts, like those of American Prairie, the bison has been slowly reintroduced to the wild. Today, the species is listed as 'near threatened' and 'ecologically extinct' – which means they no longer play their critical roles in shaping prairie biodiversity. More: This animal conservancy has several endangered animals to view Routine DNA testing is conducted and importing bison with different genetics is done to ensure high integrity and the long-term success and survival of the animals. 'We are thrilled to partner with the ICC and contribute to this important new program to help grow bison populations across North America,' said Scott Heidebrink, director of Landscape Stewardship for American Prairie. 'We have spent the past 20 years restoring bison to their native prairie home and look forward to seeing even more of these iconic mammals on this historic landscape.' At the ICC, the bison will serve as ambassadors for their species, helping visitors understand the vital role they play in the ecosystem as a keystone species and the importance of preserving their natural habitats. 'Based on AZA SAFE recommendations, we will actively look for partners to receive any bison that are bred at the ICC,' said Al-Humaidhi. The International Conservation Center is an extension of the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium that focuses on conservation science, wildlife management and recovery, and education. Its resident animals contribute to the preservation of their wild counterparts and help tell the story of hope and survival into the future. Summer camp registration for the International Conservation Center began Feb. 18. This article originally appeared on The Daily American: ICC welcomes a male and 3 female bison to repatriate to U.S. prairies
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Four bison arrive at Somerset conservation center
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WTAJ) — The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium's International Conservation Center in Somerset announced they have four new additions. They welcomed one of North America's most iconic species. Four American Bison, one male and three females, arrived at the ICC in December. They were each born this past summer and are roughly eight months old. They come to the zoo through a partnership with a prairie-based nature reserve in Central Montana, called American Prairie. Both the zoo and the nature reserve are part of the Saving Animals from Extinction (SAFE) program which hopes to merge resources of facilities across North America to recover bison and restore their native habitat. Breast cancer survivors honored at annual Pink Zone Game 'This is the beginning of an exciting breeding and reintroduction program that will repatriate bison to indigenous territories across the United States,' ICC Director Ayeshah Al-Humaidhi said. 'The herd will also provide training opportunities for animal care managers across zoological institutions and our Native American partners.' Bison, which are more commonly referred to as buffalos, are the official mammal of the United States and the largest land animal in North America. Due to hunting and habitat loss, their population dwindled and just over a thousand were believed to be left at the turn of the 20th century. Today the population is listed as 'near threatened,' and through preservation efforts is being slowly reintroduced to the wild. At the ICC, the bison will serve as ambassadors for their species, helping visitors understand the vital role they play in the ecosystem as a keystone species and the importance of preserving their natural habitats. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
18-02-2025
- General
- CBS News
Pittsburgh Zoo welcomes 4 bison to its International Conservation Center
The Pittsburgh Zoo is welcoming four bison to its International Conservation Center in Somerset. The male and three females, who were born this summer and are approximately eight months old, arrived at the conservation center in December. "This is the beginning of an exciting breeding and reintroduction program that will repatriate bison to indigenous territories across the United States," said International Conservation Center director Ayeshah Al-Humaidhi in a press release. "The herd will also provide training opportunities for animal care managers across zoological institutions and our Native American partners." Most bison today aren't pure bison but are genetically mixed with cattle. The zoo says its four bison represent the purest stock in North America because genetic integrity plays an important role in bison conservation. Bison are listed as near threatened and ecologically extinct, meaning they no longer play a critical role in shaping prairie biodiversity, the zoo says. Bison once numbered in the millions, but hunting and habitat loss dwindled the population down to a little over a thousand at the turn of the 20th century. The bison come to the conservation center through a partnership with a nature reserve in Montana called American Prairie. Both the zoo and American Prairie are part of an Association of Zoos & Aquariums program that aims to recover bison and restore their native habitat by merging the resources of AZA facilities and Indigenous groups. "We are thrilled to partner with the ICC and contribute to this important new program to help grow bison populations across North America," Scott Heidebrink, American Prairie's director of landscape stewardship, said in a news release. "We have spent the past 20 years restoring bison to their native prairie home and look forward to seeing even more of these iconic mammals on this historic landscape." The zoo says the bison will serve as ambassadors for their species at the conservation center, helping visitors understand the role they play in the ecosystem and the importance of preserving their natural habitats.
