The world’s rarest duck has been saved from extinction after being reared in Madagascar in the first ever floating aviaries made from converted Scottish salmon farming cages.
Over the last seven years, around 100 Madagascar pochards were bred by British aviculturists on the island just off Mozambique using world’s first floating aviaries made from salmon cages as reported by the British charity WWT (Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust).
With a wild population of now nearly 50, the duck is believed to be the rarest bird on the planet.
Experts from WWT, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, The Peregrine Fund and the Government of Madagascar helped as the world’s rarest bird was released into the wild.
Kames Fish Farming and Fusion Marine helped with the design and parts of the nets and cages.
The approach is to allow the birds to become accustomed to their new surroundings, increasing the chances they will remain at the site after release. The state of wetlands in Madagascar is so poor that they will likely not survive if they leave the lake.
