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Prehistoric bird once thought extinct returns to New Zealand wild (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 1 year ago by anon6789@beehaw.org to c/science@beehaw.org

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In New Zealand, the return of wild takahē populations marks a cautiously celebrated conservation victory, and the return of one of the world’s rarest creatures. The birds had been formally declared extinct in 1898, their already-reduced population devastated by the arrival of European settlers’ animal companions: stoats, cats, ferrets and rats. After their rediscovery in 1948, their numbers are now at about 500, growing at about 8% a year.

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[-] liv@beehaw.org 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Fun fact: Australia and New Zealand are 2,516 miles apart, and don't share much of the same wildlife.

The Indigenous people of Aotearoa make up 16% of the population so they are demographically a much larger political and social force than in the US or Australia.

I've posted several articles about links between various Indigenous cultural traditions and ecological conservation over at !conservative@kbin.social if you're interested.