{"id":177447,"date":"2025-12-10T15:44:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T15:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/177447\/"},"modified":"2025-12-10T15:44:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T15:44:09","slug":"researchers-confirm-stunning-recovery-of-creatures-nearly-driven-to-extinction-really-an-eye-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/177447\/","title":{"rendered":"Researchers confirm stunning recovery of creatures nearly driven to extinction: ‘Really an eye-opener’"},"content":{"rendered":"

A British bird of prey has enjoyed such a remarkable recovery that British-born chicks are being used in rewilding projects in Europe.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The BBC<\/a> reported that the red kite was on the brink of extinction in the United Kingdom by the early 1990s, with only a handful remaining in Wales. However, a rewilding project in the Chilterns involving red kite chicks from Sweden and Spain allowed their numbers to soar by nearly 2,500%<\/a>. There are now an estimated 6,000 breeding pairs across the U.K., a significant portion of the bird’s target population.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dr. Ian Evans of Natural England told the BBC<\/a>: “In 1991, we had our first breeding pairs and that was really an eye-opener because we thought, ‘Well, this can be successful.’ That was the springboard for establishing other release sites in England and Scotland.”<\/p>\n

Red kites have an interesting history. They are primarily scavengers and operate as a flying cleanup crew, scooping up carrion that helps protect humans from disease. They were so common in early modern England that Shakespeare<\/a> mentions them in “The Winter’s Tale.” However, they were less appreciated in the 1800s and were hunted to near extinction because of a perceived threat to domestic animals.<\/p>\n

Now, British red kites, whose ancestors may well have been bred in Spain, are being released in western Spain to hopefully spark a similar revival. Though they are under legal protection, the birds are still at risk of illegal activities. A project that tagged kites across Europe found a disturbingly high proportion of the birds were being poisoned and shot. Conservation groups are working to raise awareness<\/a> of the issues and promote action to clamp down on illicit activities that harm the kites.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The red kite’s incredible revival is just one of several promising<\/a> avian recoveries occurring worldwide<\/a>, and they’re all made possible by the work of dedicated local organizations and volunteers<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Get TCD’s free newsletters<\/a> for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices \u2014 and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD’s exclusive Rewards Club<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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