Conservationists Save World's Most Endangered Duck - For Now!
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Though these fuzzy cinnamon colored chicks may resemble their ordinary cousins, they are actually one of the world's most endangered species of ducks - The Madagascar Pochard. They are so rare that until about seven years ago, scientists believed they had become extinct.
Fortunately, in 2006 a flock of 22 were found swimming on a small lake in Northern Madagascar. Afraid of losing even this tiny group, two European conservation agencies - The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust set up an emergency expedition in 2009. They collected 24 eggs from the group in the wild and took them to try rear in captivity at a specially built breeding center in Antsohihy, Madagascar.
Their hard work paid off earlier this week, when this brood of 18 healthy ducklings was born, effectively almost doubling the population of the species.
The scientists plan to continue their efforts in captivity and also release some of these newly born ducklings into the wild, by next year. However, before they do that, they are trying to determine the reason for the low breeding rate of the ducks in the wild. They believe it may have something to do with the lack of food, caused by human over-fishing.
One of the solutions is to relocate the ducks to other lakes, but since fishing is the mainstay of the local communities all through the island, they will have to convince the locals to become partners in their efforts to save this fragile species by coming up with a solution that is a win-win for both!
Resources: Dailymail.co.uk, abcnews.go.com
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424 Comments
- nicoleover 12 yearsthey're so cutie i hope we can save them!!! PLEASE SAVE THE DUCKS PLEASE !!!!!
- Ryan.Cover 12 yearsThe Madagascar Pochard is a very interesting animal. One reason is they are one of the most endangered spices in the world. The Madagascar Pochard only has 40 known spices left. Also, the animal was extinct until the 2006 discovery in which 18 eggs where found with 22 ducks. This is why the ducklings are so interesting.
- Ryan.Cover 12 yearsThe Madagascar Pochard is a very interesting animal. One reason is they are one of the most endangered species in the world. The Madagascar Pochard only has 40 known species left. Also, the animal was extinct until the 2006 discovery in which 18 eggs were found with 22 ducks. This is why the ducklings are so interesting.
vp625over 12 yearsthe y are so cute i just want one for myself ohhh- Joris Bover 12 yearsI really enjoyed this article about the endangered duck. I thought it was interesting how they found this ducks swimming in the pond. They say they are dying because of over fishing. I hope they will make a rule that states no fishing or polluting the water. I hope they will save the ducks.
- 7over 12 yearsthe ducklings will grow into beautiful birds.
seltiover 12 yearsI WANT THEM!- Nikola P.over 12 yearsThis is a very interesting article. I have never heard of these ducks before because they were almost extinct. They look beautiful when they grow up. They have cinnamon colored feathers and have eyes like diamonds. The people that found them are very lucky because they found 22 eggs and they all hatched successfully. I would tell people to stop over fishing so the ducks could also eat and they can survive. I would recommend this article to a friend who likes animals, especially ducks.
- Nikola P_eover 12 yearsThis is a very interseting article. I had never heard of these before. That explains that they are almost extinct. Those ducks look beautiful when they grow up. They are cinnamon color and have diamond eyes. I would do my best if I had to save a duck. I would recommend this article to a friend who likes ducks.
daraddover 12 yearsawww
