I first heard of the sad story of this strange bird from New Zealand, the kakapo (Strigops habroptilus), in Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine's (radio series and) book Last Chance to See.
The kakapo, the heaviest parrot in the world (up to 4kg), seemed doomed by its strange breeding habits and the deadly effects of man's intrusion on the islands. The population was whittled down to a mere 50 known individuals by 1995. Their extinction seemed inevitable until a recovery programme was initiated. Now up to 86, there was more good news last week - the kakapo are breeding again and three chicks have been born!
See: Breeding success for rare kakapo. By Kim Griggs, BBC News, 26 Mar 2005. And check the Kakapo Recovery Programme for latest news.
A blog, Another Chance to See tracks the species mentioned in "Last Chance to See" honour of the late Douglas Adams.
1 comment:
I came across the bird from the same source, "Last Chance to See". Would like to recommend this fantastic book to those who enjoy light hearted (read: no doomsday proclamations) stories about state of various animals around the world.
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