14 samples of Rhea released into wildlife in Chile | Science and Ecology | DW

The foundation reported Wednesday that 14 specimens of the Rhea bird, a Chilean-Patagonian bird that looks like an ostrich and is in danger of extinction, was released into wildlife from a breeding center in a national park in the south of the country.

This is the fifth release of the RIAA samples, bringing the number of birds of this species that have returned to their natural habitats in the past five years to 52.

Rhea, one of the most well-known species on the plains of Patagonia and in the Aisne region (southern Chile), was on the verge of extinction due to factors such as overfishing, egg gathering, dog predation and nest destruction.

To reverse this trend, in 2015 Tompkins Conservation opened the Breeding Center for Conservation Ñandú in Patagonia National Park and this latest version of the birds is part of an ecological restoration program implemented by that institution in Chile with support from the National Park. Forestry Corporation (CONAF) for the country.

Goal: 100 copies

When the program began, the population was only 18 and in May of this year a herding census revealed the presence of 68 adults and 24 chicks. The goal of the organization is to reach an adult population of 100 individuals.

“We are very pleased with this new release, which, in addition to various measures to protect the species and collaborative work with many local actors, has allowed for a sustainable increase in the number of rhesus fish by more than three times, reaching nearly 70 specimens. And the increase.” Christian Saucedo said. , Director of the Reconstruction Program in Tompkins Conservation Chile: “More than 30% of the area occupied by species is within a national park.”

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“This program allows for the reintegration of these species into an environment in which they were disappearing due to various factors,” said Konave’s CEO, Rodrigo Monetta.

From Tompkins Conservations, they hope to roll out a new version of rheas next May, making 2021 the year more samples have been moved to the onshore visa since 2017.

Raise release is the final stage of a complex process that begins with egg collection in the national park.

The eggs are artificially incubated in Coyhaic (1,700 kilometers south of Santiago), until the birth of the first specimens, which are returned to the park where the chicks are attempted to be adopted by the reproductive males at the breeding center.

After about 4 or 5 months, and once they learn the usual behaviors of the species from their parent, they are released into the wild to restore the wild populations of rheas in the national park.

EL (efe)

Aileen Morales

"Beer nerd. Food fanatic. Alcohol scholar. Tv practitioner. Writer. Troublemaker. Falls down a lot."

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