Rare parrot rescued from brink of extinction

ECHO'S LOCATION: The increase in parrot population is down to the enthusiasm of UK conservationists

June 2010: A bleak future for the echo parakeet seemed guaranteed at the end of the Eighties, when just two breeding females remained, but thanks to the efforts of UK conservationists 500 birds are now flourishing in Mauritius.

Once the rarest parrot in the world, it was regarded by the bird and conservation world as doomed - especially as requests for funding for a rescue attempt were repeatedly rejected. But thanks to the expertise of Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Chester Zoo, International Zoo Vet Group and World Parrot Trust, about 70 chicks a year are now fledged in the wild.

Professor Carl Jones International Conservation Fellow, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and Scientific Director, Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, said: ‘A third of all parrot species in the world are in danger and if we can save the rarest, there is certainly some hope for them all.' 

The ongoing project in Mauritius uses tried and tested zoo techniques such as providing artificial nest boxes, harvesting eggs and hand rearing, many of which were implemented by Chester Zoo staff. 

RARE SIGHT: The echo parakeet is now making a comeback in Mauritius

‘Project demonstrates the key value of zoos'

Professor Jones, continued: ‘This project demonstrates the key value of zoos. Our success is based on the fact that we have taken expertise you can learn within a zoo and applied it to animals in the wild. Despite our progress so far, echo parakeets will need to be looked after indefinitely and zoos have a great role to play in the long term management of the species.'

Roger Wilkinson, the head of Field Conservation & Research at Chester Zoo, added: ‘We are delighted with the success of this project. Our staff have been involved on a hands-on basis for a number of years, so to see an actual tangible outcome is significant. The