National Aviary Pittsburgh Inc

THE NATIONAL AVIARY WORKS TO INSPIRE RESPECT FOR NATURE THROUGH AN APPRECIATION OF BIRDS.

VISITOR RECREATION AND EDUCATION: THROUGH ENHANCED SAFETY PROTOCOLS AND VIRTUAL OFFERINGS, THE NATIONAL AVIARY CONTINUES TO PRIORITIZE EXCEPTIONAL GUEST EXPERIENCES AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES. 2021 SAW A RECORD YEAR FOR SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES WITH NEW COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOLS IN PLACE. ADDITIONALLY, IN-PERSON EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING BEGAN ITS RETURN WITH OFFERINGS OF BOTH OUTREACH AND IN-HOUSE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ON A LIMITED SCALE. FOR OPTIMAL SAFETY, CAPACITY LIMITATIONS REMAINED IN PLACE DURING 2021. VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING CONTINUED WHICH ALLOWED CUSTOMERS WHO MAY NOT BE ABLE TO COME ONSITE TO EXPERIENCE THE AVIARY. THIS ALSO GAVE THE AVIARY AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND ITS NATIONAL REACH WHILE ALLOWING "VIRTUAL VISITORS" TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BIRDS AND MAMMALS THAT CALL THE NATIONAL AVIARY HOME. IN 2021, THE AVIARY EDUCATED 8,680 PEOPLE THROUGH ENCOUNTERS, 390 PEOPLE ON OUTREACHES, 6,983 PEOPLE THROUGH VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING AND 93,248 IN-PERSON CUSTOMERS WHO VISITIED THE AVIARY.

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND RESEARCH: THE NATIONAL AVIARY HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS TO ITS AVIAN COLLECTION OVER THE YEARS. BEGINNING IN 2020 AND CONTINUING IN 2021, AS A RESULT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, IT WAS IMPERATIVE TO SIGNIFICANTLY CURTAIL ACQUISITIONS TO THE AVIARY'S FLOCK AS WELL AS TO ITS BREEDING PROGRAM. THE AVIARY DID ACQUIRE 5 BIRDS DURING THE YEAR INCLUDING AFRICAN PENGUINS, RAGGIANA BIRD OF PARADISE AND WHITE CRESTED LAUGHING THRUSH. FOR BREEDING, 14 BIRDS WERE FLEDGED WHICH INCLUDE SPECIES FROM AFRICAN PENGUINS, MARIANAS FRUIT DOVE, SUNBITTERN, SCALY SIDED MERGANSER AND HADADA IBIS. THE SCALY SIDED MERGANSER AND HADADA IBIS OFFSPRING MARKED THE FIRST TIME THESE SPECIES REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL AVIARY. THE NATIONAL AVIARY'S DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND FIELD RESEARCH INITIATED A NEW STUDY THAT TESTS A UNIQUE MODEL OF SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT THAT MAY PROVIDE HABITATS FOR MANY MORE SPECIES THAN NORMALLY OCCURS WITH TRADITIONAL EVEN-AGED FOREST MANAGEMENT. OUR APPROACH CREATES VERY SMALL, 1-5 ACRE GAPS THROUGH GROUP SELECTION CUTS. WE BELIEVE THIS APPROACH MAY PROVIDE HABITAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPORTANT EARLY-SUCCESSIONAL SPECIES WHILE AT THE SAME TIME PROVIDE HABITATS FOR DISPERSING FLEDGLINGS OF MATURE FOREST SPECIES FROM THE SURROUNDING FOREST. THESE ARE TWO GROUPS OF BIRDS MOST IN NEED OF CONSERVATION ATTENTION SO AN ABILITY TO ADDRESS FOREST MANAGEMENT FOR THE BENEFIT OF BOTH IS VERY IMPORTANT. ADDITIONALLY, A VERY IMPORTANT RESEARCH PROGRAM CONTINUED IN 2021 TO DETERMINE HOW BIRDS DEPEND ON OLDER HARDWOOD RIPARIAN FORESTS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN US. INCLUDED IN THIS PROGRAM IS AN INTENSIVE SEARCH FOR PERHAPS THE MOST ICONIC NORTH AMERICAN BIRD - THE IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER WITH A GOAL OF FINDING A NESTING PAIR OF IVORY-BILLS AND PROVIDING INCONTROVERTIBLE EVIDENCE OF THEIR SURVIVAL. THE NATIONAL AVIARY'S DIRECTOR OF CONSERVATION AND FIELD RESEARCH CONTINUES TO ASSIST IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF CONSERVATIONISTS BY CONTINUING TO TEACH COURSES AND ASSIST UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS FROM CHATHAM UNIVERSITY, DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH, ADVISING IN THEIR THESES AND DISSERTATION RESEARCH.

ADVANCED ON-SITE AVIAN TREATMENT AND CARE: THE NATIONAL AVIARY'S VETERINARY HOSPITAL PROVIDES FULL VETERINARY CARE SERVICES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OVER 550 BIRDS AND MAMMALS, INCLUDING PRIMARY HEALTH CARE, EMERGENCY SERVICES, FULL LABORATORY TESTING, ANESTHESIA AND SURGERY. IN 2021, 150 BIRDS WERE TREATED FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS WITH A 98% SUCCESS RATE FOR FULLY RECOVERING. MEDICAL TESTS AND TREATMENTS WERE CUSTOMIZED FOR EACH PATIENT ACCORDING TO THEIR SPECIES. SPECIALIZED PROCEDURES, INCLUDING 30 BEAK REPAIRS AND TREATMENTS, WERE PERFORMED. PREVENTATIVE HEALTH CARE PRACTICES CONTINUED IN FULL THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WITH 170 VACCINATIONS, 1,550 NEBULIZATION TREATMENTS AND 2,600 INDIVIDUAL PREVENTATIVE TREATMENTS ADMINISTERED. THE AFRICAN PENGUIN COLONY RECEIVED CUSTOM-MADE AVIAN MALARIA PREVENTION, TOTALLING 3,135 INDIVIDUAL TREATMENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. EMERGENCY CARE SERVICES SUCCESSFULY HELPED 5 BIRDS RECOVER FROM CONCUSSIONS, 2 FROM STROKES AND 2 FROM FRACTURED BONES. BIRDS RECEIVED SPECIES-SPECIFIC PHYSICAL THERAPY TO COMPLETE THE LAST STAGES OF RECOVERY. VETERINARY STUDENT EDUCATION PROGRAMS INCLUDED MENTORING 15 PRE-VETERINARY STUDENTS REMOTELY FROM THE TEACHING HOSPITAL. A TOTAL OF 5 VIRTUAL EDUCATIONAL CLASSES WERE GIVEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. ADDITIONALLY, THE VETERINARY HOSPITAL SHARED MEDICAL PROCEDURES DEVELOPED AT THE NATIONAL AVIARY WITH ZOOS AND WILDLIFE CENTERS GLOABALLY TO HELP ADVANCE AVIAN CARE.

THE OTHER REMAINING EXPENSES ARE ATTRIBUTABLE TO VARIOUS EXHIBITS AND DAILY EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS.