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Briefly about GDEWS |
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 Captive
Breeding Centre (Gerald Durell Endemic Wildlife Sanctuary) - Black River
The Captive Breeding Centre at Black River
established in 1973 is the main facility for the rearing of endangered
endemic birds. It has been renamed as the Gerald Durell Wildlife
Sanctuary after the late Gerald Durell. The facility was upgraded in
1996/7 and now it comprises of the following aviaries: 32 cages for Pink
Pigeon (Columba mayeri), one parakeet flight aviary, 15 cages for Eco
Parakeet (Psittachula echo) and 5 cages for the Rodrigues Fruit Bat.
A captive breeding programme was set up by the Government
with the help of international organisations since 1976 as an immediate
measure to rescue three critically endangered species of birds.
Besides the captive breeding programme, a release programme
was initiated with additional management
techniques in place such as, supplementary feeding, provision and
monitoring of nest boxes, double clutching and control of animal pests
in the wild.
The Pink Pigeon which had a population of 30 - 40
individuals nesting in an introduced Cryptomeria plantation (Cryptomeria
japonica) is now some 400 birds. The Mauritius Kestrel (Falco punctatus)
was once the rarest bird , with a population of only 4 birds in 1974, as
a result of pesticide abuse, the population is now estimated to be 800
birds. The Echo Parakeet (Psittacula echo) is the last surviving parrot
in the Mascarenes. It was considered as the rarest parrot in the world.
The population which was about 12 individuals in 1987 is now about 120
birds.
Source: Second National Report to the Convention on Biological
Diversity (2003)
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