Eight endangered light-footed clapper rails were released into the wild today at Batiquitos Lagoon in Carlsbad. The release is the result of a successful captive breeding partnership for the endangered species, executed by the Chula Vista Nature Center, independent wildlife biologists, Dr. Richard Zembal, SeaWorld San Diego and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Decades ago, the light-footed clapper rail was thriving in southern California marshlands, but the species has become endangered due to a loss of habitat along the state’s wetlands. Through the captive breeding protocol, more than 100 chicks have been bred, raised and released since 2001.

The birds are bred by Chula Vista Nature Center and SeaWorld. After the eggs are incubated and hatched at SeaWorld, aviculturists hand-raise the chicks through a method called modified puppet rearing. In order to minimize human contact, keepers feed the chicks with a hand puppet. They are then transferred to a pen where they eat a variety of insects, fish and small crustaceans. Next they are sent to the Chula Vista Nature Center where they are placed in transitional enclosures on marsh habitat to prepare them for release. Again, human contact is limited so the chicks will survive in the wild. Keepers at the Center monitor the birds’ hunting and hiding behaviors for several weeks. When the birds are ready, they are released along marshes from Ventura down to the Mexican border.