CHULA VISTA (FOX 5\/KUSI) — SeaWorld San Diego, in partnership with other conservation groups, relocated two Ridgway’s rails to a protected marsh near Chula Vista on August 18.<\/p>\n
These endangered birds will be released in a couple of weeks by Living Coast Discovery Center.<\/p>\n
This is an important milestone for the species. The Ridgway’s rail is a state and federally listed endangered species that can be found in southern California and northern Baja California.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Endangered California least tern nesting in San Diego\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Since 2000, Team Clapper Rail, a multi-organization conservation partnership focused on the Ridgway’s rail, has released more than 400 of these endangered birds.<\/p>\n “The\u00a0success of the\u00a0light-footed Ridgway’s rail captive breeding program\u00a0is a result of the\u00a0strong, strategic partnership among the\u00a0U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,\u00a0Living Coast Discovery Center, San Diego\u00a0Zoo,\u00a0and SeaWorld San Diego,” Sandra Hamilton, fish and wildlife biologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said in a release.\u00a0<\/p>\n “By incorporating new, genetically fit individuals, we continue to strengthen both the breeding population and the wild population. This latest release marks another important milestone for the program’s ongoing recovery efforts,” Hamilton continued. \u00a0<\/p>\n