San Diego Zoo Tries To Preserve Endangered, And Strange Insect

The critically endangered insect that is commonly referred to as the “lord howe island stick insect (LHISI)” is among one of the most prized and revered insects on display at the San Diego Zoo. Officials at the San Diego zoo are making a concerted team effort to not only preserve this rare endangered and interesting insect, but the zookeepers are trying to rear more of them as well.

During the past couple of months the LHISI has laid more than five hundred eggs. This was a breakthrough, and this also marks the first time in history that a critically endangered animal species birthed children in captivity in a North American facility.

The LHISI was thought extinct for decades by almost all researchers in the world. However, Australia’s Melbourne Zoo has been successfully breeding the stick insects since re-discovering them in 2003. Researchers stressed the importance of the LHIS insect to the world’s ecosystem. The LHIS insect is unique in that it can harness energy from plants via the process of photosynthesis.

Do you think that spending government money to preserve a single insect species that people had assumed was extinct is a good use of government funds? How can studying the lord howe island stick insect benefit mankind?