The battle for survival with endangered species is a challenging one. But in the Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia, there's a success story.
A bird that doesn't fly has been at the center of a conservation program in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia.
The cagou is a crested, long-legged, bluish-grey bird that is endemic to dense mountain forests.
The flightless birds don’t run quickly, so they are easy prey for stray dogs, cats and wild pigs — which trample the nests, roughly built on the ground.
When the cagou feels under attack, it stands up straight with its distinctive crest in the air as it approaches an opponent and growls. The sound it makes is like a dog barking.
Experts estimate there are about 2,000 in New Caledonia.
But efforts to preserve and grow the population are paying off. A series of steps to protect the birds have increased their numbers.
A key program began in the 1980s when the cagou was first listed in the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species.
At that time, a zoo in New Caledonia’s capital of Noumeā began to raise cagous in captivity and release them at a provincial park, the equivalent of a national park.
Now, the zoo takes care of 16 cagous, and the females have one or two chicks a year. They usually release them into the provincial park after a few months, once they are ready to adapt to the wild.
