The Madagascar pochard, previously thought to have been extinct, has returned to its ancestral home on Lake Alaotra in Madagascar, where it was last seen more than 30 years ago.
A small group of Madagascar pochard, thought to be the world’s rarest duck, have been spotted at Lake Alaotra in Madagascar for the first time in over 30 years.
The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust confirmed that the birds arrived from Lake Sofia 300km away, where a breeding programme has been running since 2009.
The rare diving duck, endemic to the inland wetlands of Madagascar, was declared ‘probably extinct’ in 2004, before a tiny population was discovered on a remote lake in 2006.
The Trust hopes that the ducks, known locally as Fotsimaso, will now settle at Lake Alaotra, where the team are monitoring them to try and understand more about their diet, how they reproduce, their favoured habitat and behaviour patterns.
“The return of the Madagascar pochard to Lake Alaotra demonstrates the success of Durrell’s reintroduction programme, the aim of which is to re-establish populations in its former range,” said Felix Razafindrajao, Coordinator of the Madagascar Pochard Project at Durrell.
“It is also a source of pride for the members of the Fotsimaso team, as their hard work has produced the desired results. Although some released individuals are returning to Lake Alaotra, the species’ last site of observation, the release programme will continue this year to strengthen the population at the release site.”
Dr Lesley Dickie, CEO of Durrell, added: “I’d like to pay tribute to the incredible work by our team and all the partners that have made this such a success. In a world that’s full of conservation challenges, we all need stories like this to give us some hope and reaffirm the value of investing in wildlife.”
Durrell’s conservation programme at Lake Sofia has seen the population increased from 26 to approximately 119 birds, with 83 birds being released back into the wild.