Zoos join forces to save bird

Published on Wednesday 26 November 2008 09:09

EDINBURGH Zoo has joined forces with Paignton Zoo in Devon and zoos abroad in a bid to save a bird that has been extinct in the wild for 30 years.

The Socorro dove, which originates from Socorro Island off the coast of Mexico, became extinct in the 1970s as a result of human disturbance and habitat loss.

Several were held in private collections, however, and breeding pairs were formed to sustain the population.

Edinburgh Zoo became involved in the breeding programme for the dove in 2005, and has produced 11 chicks to date.

Five birds from Edinburgh Zoo and seven birds from Paignton Zoo in Devon have been flown to California and transferred to Albuquerque Zoo in New Mexico. The birds will now form a satellite population outside Europe and their offspring could be the first Socorro doves to be seen on their ancestral home for decades.