New Red Siskin exhibit coming soon

As part of RSI’s conservation strategy, Venezuela’s first Red Siskin Conservation Center (RSCC) was founded in 2019. RSCC studies Red Siskin husbandry and reproduction, because our birds have the potential to serve as an invaluable genetic reservoir for wild Venezuelan populations.

However, not all the Red Siskins we rescue are suitable for reproduction. Some may be hybrids or may carry mutations.  However, these birds are still valuable for conservation, because they can share valuable messages with the public: against the illegal trade in wild birds, in favor of only keeping captive-bred animals as pets (never wild ones!), and in favor of protecting our wild spaces.

So, together with Leslie Pantin Zoo, RSI is creating an exhibit on the zoo’s educational trail to educate the visiting public about this wonderful and vulnerable  — but little known — bird. We are promoting awareness of its current threats, its conservation status, and its ecological and cultural importance, as an iconic emblem of the soul of our nation.

Everyone has a role to play in protecting Red Siskins. You can be a spokesperson for our conservation messages by following our publications and campaigns on social media. You can visit Red Siskins at Leslie Pantin Zoo. You can also relinquish birds to our rescue facility. You can choose to keep only pets that were born in captivity, never in the wild. We hope that someday, every Venezuelan can have the great pleasure of enjoying visits from wild Red Siskins in their gardens, in their best state… Freedom!

Authors: Samuel Beomón and Bárbara Santana.