- Who
- Madagascar pochard
- Where
- Madagascar ()
- When
By the early 1990s, the Madagascar pochard (Aythya innotata) was feared to have become extinct. In 2006, however, several specimens were discovered living in the remote volcanic Lake Matsaborimena in northern Madagascar. Three clutches of eggs were taken from the site and incubated. After they hatched, the ducklings were reared in a hotel bathroom. They bred within a purpose-built compound from 2012 and in 2018, the Madagascar pochard was finally returned to the wild. The total population, including those in captivity and in the wild, is now thought to number around 90 birds.
The project to natch and rear the ducklings was a collaboration between Durrell, the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), the Peregrine Fund, Asity Madagascar, and the Madagascar government.
