Target: Murray Watt, Australia Minister for Environment and Water
Goal: Bolster conservation plans for endangered regent honeyeater birds.
A critically endangered bird in Australia has lost its voice. The regent honeyeater, whose populations have steadily declined, now reportedly has no wild birds capable of mimicking the complex song that is critical to reproductive success. But an innovative program – and some surprising teaching tutors – is providing new hope.
A captive breeding program has been in place in Australia’s zoos. The program, in which the captive regent honeyeaters are eventually released into the wild, hopes to bolster the meager current 250-regent honeyeater population within Australia. And when they are released, these birds could be bringing a very important gift with them. The program has recently focused on teaching the original wild song to the captive birds via recordings and wild birds that have retained the song. With the assistance of their teachers, the captive honeyeaters have begun picking up the song and even passing it along to offspring. If this song could once again echo through the wild, then the entire regent honeyeater population could be singing a new and positive tune about their futures.
Sign the petition below to encourage expansion of this promising real-world classroom tool for conservation.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Minister Watt
The regent honeyeater population has dwindled to 250 wild birds. Taronga Zoo is providing new hope for the endangered avian species, though, with its innovative song-teaching program. By transforming wild birds into instructors for honeyeaters in their captive breeding program, the zoo has managed to take the first crucial steps in restoring the species’ lost breeding song.
This novel approach to conservation is already paying dividends, and its success should be a template for similar initiatives in the future. As the person tasked with conserving Australia’s environmental heritage, please support, invest in, and help expand this groundbreaking effort.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Mark Gillow
