Leonardo DiCaprio has praised Chester Zoo for bringing a near-extinct species of fish ‘back from the dead’ in Mexico.
Nearly 30 years after the golden skiffia disappeared from Mexico’s waters, conservationists at Chester Zoo have helped to return the fish to the wild.
The team, made up of experts from the UK, North America and Latin America, released 1,200 golden skiffia into the Teuchitlán River in Mexico.
The fish were bred by aquarists to prevent them from becoming globally extinct. The golden skiffia reintroduction coincided with Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebrations.
Golden skiffia ‘back from the dead’
“This year’s Day of the Dead celebrations included a unique ‘resurrection’ in Jalisco, Mexico, where conservationists released more than 1,000 golden skiffia into the fish’s native range in the Teuchitlán River,” DiCaprio wrote on Instagram.
“The freshwater fish had not been documented in the wild since the late 1990s.”
“Releasing this species back into the wild is a light of hope for this wonderful family of fish, and for the conservation of freshwater fish more generally,” said Omar Domínguez-Domínguez, a professor and researcher from the Michoacan University of Mexico who is leading the project.
“Knowing that universities, zoos and aquarists can come together to fix some of what has been destroyed and return to nature some of what has been lost is an amazing thing.”
Conservation at UK’s Chester Zoo
In preparation for their return to the wild, the fish were kept in ponds to help them adapt to different conditions. They were then moved to floating pods at Chester Zoo, where they lived for a month before they were taken to Mexico.
“This project is a great example of how zoos can contribute to conservation in the field through conservation breeding and research, utilising the skills and experience that have been developed in zoos to help strengthen existing and new wild populations,” said Paul Bamford, Chester Zoo’s regional programme manager for Latin America.
“By supporting freshwater conservation in Mexico and the ecosystems where the fish live, we’re not only protecting biodiversity and the wellbeing of freshwater environments, but also the people and communities that live alongside them.”
Images: Chester Zoo
