Eight Socorro doves have hatched at the Chester Zoo in the U.K. this year, igniting hope for the species to return to the wild one day.
According to Mongabay, these birds were once found comfortably close to people on Socorro Island, off the coast of Mexico. Though a combination of factors led to the doves being wiped from the island, conservation efforts 100 years ago are responsible for this species not being eliminated.
In 1925, a conservation expedition took 17 Socorro doves to the United States. “Every dove alive today comes from those birds,” Mongabay reported.
Photo Credit: Chester Zoo
The loss of the Socorro doves began with sheep being brought to the island in the 1800s, which ate much of the plants the doves relied on for nutrients. In the 1950s, the introduction of feral cats by way of Naval families ultimately ended this species’ existence in its native area.
Preventative measures by conservationists can be the difference in a species’ survival, or its end, and thus a loss of biodiversity. Similar efforts include out-of-the-box protections for Guam kingfishers, a bird nearly wiped out by invasive snakes.
“It’s a miracle that [the Socorro doves] gave extinction the slip and is still with us, and institutions like Chester Zoo play such an important role in being custodians of these precious birds that exist nowhere else on Earth,” Donal Smith, a researcher at Monash University in Australia, told Mongabay.
Though a breeding pool of just 17 birds is not the ideal background for repopulating a species, progress is ongoing. Now, the 200 Socorro doves that exist in the world — all currently in zoos — are exhibiting the typical behaviors of the species, including males being involved as parental figures.
With the sheep removed from the island in 2010 and birdhouses built 20 years ago for when the Socorro doves return, there is much hope for these birds to once again inhabit their native home. Though the feral cats still pose a threat, researchers are making progress assessing the current state of Socorro Island for the doves’ reintegration.
The success of conservation efforts proves the importance of environmental action. To do your part in protecting the Earth and native species, you can educate yourself on critical climate issues and take local action when available.
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