Mike and Brent Lubbock joined the Chief Veterinarian of the Akron Zoo, Gary Riggs, on a week-long journey to 23 Venezuelan states. The primary purpose of the trip was to meet with the staff of the Venezuelan Waterfowl Foundation, a cooperative effort sponsored by the Akron Zoo, the International Wild Waterfowl Association (IWWA),Gary and Denise Riggs, and Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Center.

The team traversed hundreds of miles from high mountain altitudes to the vast llanos (savannah). A visit to the Foundation’s center of operations in Merida was scheduled along with a stop in Kanto Pinero, the primary site for jaguar research in Venezuela.

Discussions were held to determine future projects that could be undertaken to preserve declining waterfowl populations in Venezuela. The dialog focused on the Orinoco Goose as the species in crucial need of a future conservation project. The feasibility of placing nest boxes on some of the ranches located in the Orinoco’s habitat was examined. A trip to the Venezuelan llanos was made to assess the bird’s potential breeding sites. The group also visited several ranch owners to find out if they would allow the VWF to erect nest boxes on their property, once the necessary permits were secured.

The Foundation hopes someday to collect data on the threatened Merida Teal. In addition, discussions were held on the possibility of conducting a jaguar population study. A past VWF project consisted of environmental education and population studies of the endangered Northern Torrent Duck.

During their travels the group spotted a wide variety of wildlife, including ocelot, caiman, capybara, King Vultures, Scarlet Macaws, Potoo birds, Yellow-knobbed Curassows, Black-bellied Tree Ducks, White-faced Tree Ducks, Jabiru Storks and Torrent Ducks—in all, 94 species of birds.

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