To celebrate endangered species day, we’re introducing the anti-Dodo: Mauritius Kestrel. The official national bird of Mauritius, it is one of the world’s greatest conservation success stories, making the island nation and its BirdLife Partner iconic for preventing extinctions, rather than extinction.
It’s not hard to see why the Mauritian people could have attached themselves to a disheartening environmental narrative, though. Dutch sailors first started decimating the Mauritian island habitats in the 1600s when they colonised the unique archipelago in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, and now only 1.3% of good-quality native forest remains. The poor old flightless, ground-nesting Dodo epitomises this hapless human plundering of the innocent, having not evolved defences to the flurry of introduced mammalian predators that ensued – Homo sapiens included. The last Dodo was reported dead in the 1680s, and many other species followed, but the legend of the Dodo has lived on worldwide.
However, there’s another side to the Mauritian environmental story: one of hope, dedication and conservation success. A story that’s now captivating the hearts of the Mauritian people, including their government. This story is centred on another bird – just as emblematic, but living.
Alive as a kestrel: An emblem for preventing extinctions
It’s not hard to see why the Mauritian people could have attached themselves to a disheartening environmental narrative, though. Dutch sailors first started decimating the Mauritian island habitats in the 1600s when they colonised the unique archipelago in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, and now only 1.3% of good-quality native forest remains. The poor old flightless, ground-nesting Dodo epitomises this hapless human plundering of the innocent, having not evolved defences to the flurry of introduced mammalian predators that ensued – Homo sapiens included. The last Dodo was reported dead in the 1680s, and many other species followed, but the legend of the Dodo has lived on worldwide.
However, there’s another side to the Mauritian environmental story: one of hope, dedication and conservation success. A story that’s now captivating the hearts of the Mauritian people, including their government. This story is centred on another bird – just as emblematic, but living.
Alive as a kestrel: An emblem for preventing extinctions