By admin
Four Santa Cruz ground doves (Alopecoenas sanctaecrucis) were born at Singapore’s Jurong Bird Park in recent weeks, giving signs of hope for the endangered species.
The chicks are the offspring of a group of endangered ground doves that were rescued from Tinakula last August and brought to Singapore.
This is the first time that such doves have been successfully bred under human care by a zoological institution.
Swift reaction from the Ministry of Environment and the Jurong Bird Park of Singapore, other international and local stakeholders rescued a 112 Santa Cruz ground doves from extinction following a volcanic eruption that destroyed their habitat.
The birds are endemic to Tinakula Island, but used to be found throughout Temotu province all the way to Vanuatu, but the due to human activities, its numbers has dropped drastically over the years.
In the process 60 doves had been shipped to Singapore’s Jurong Bird Park for rehabilitation and form an assurance colony with the hope of repopulating them and if circumstances allow, to return them to their homeland.
The operation has been successful and the birds have since reproduced and are placed under intensive care from experts at the park.
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