Posted Fri
at 9:36pm
One of
Australia's most threatened bird species will be boarding a plane from Victoria
to Tasmania's south-west wilderness next month in a desperate effort to save
the animal from extinction.
There are
only 30 to 50 orange-bellied parrots left in the wild, 10 of which have
undergone final health checks at Werribee Open Range Zoo in Victoria ahead of
their flight over the Bass Strait in October.
The zoo
has been conducting health checks on the parrots throughout winter, with
another six captive-bred birds to be released at the same time.
"They're
quite critically endangered and at serious risk of extinction in the
wild," zoo veterinarian Paul Eden said.
"Habitat
loss is a major driver, particularly for their wintering grounds, so on the
mainland a lot of habitat is being lost to development and agricultural
land."
Introduced
predators such as cats and foxes, along with disease, are also threatening the species' survival.
In the
wild, the birds spend summer breeding in Tasmania, then spend winter in coastal
Victoria and South Australia.
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