Madagascar news

Durrell reaches crucial milestone in the battle to save the rarest tortoise in the world

The discovery of two baby ploughshare tortoises born in the wild to parents bred in Durrell’s conservation breeding programme provides hope that despite huge challenges the fight to save the world’s rarest tortoise can be won. 0

Ducklings signal hope for world’s rarest bird

The Madagascar pochard - arguably the world’s rarest bird - has bred successfully in captivity building hope that it can be saved from extinction. Eighteen precious pochard ducklings are being reared at a specially built centre in Antsohihy, Madagascar, opened last year by Dr Lee Durrell. The birth of the ducklings is a key milestone in the conservation of the species, including an emergency expedition two years ago to take eggs into captivity. It is the ducks from those eggs that have now bred for the first time. 0

Durrell celebrates 25 years conserving the ploughshare tortoise in Madagascar

As 2011 comes to a close Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is celebrating 25 successful years of saving species from extinction in Madagascar with the reintroduction into the wild of 20 captive-bred ploughshare tortoises, or angonoka, the world’s most threatened tortoise and the first species Durrell worked with in Madagascar. 0

Madagascar officials foil smuggling plot of rare tortoises

A shipment of extremely rare and threatened Malagasy tortoises has been seized by officials in Madagascar as smugglers attempted to board a flight with around 200 specimens. Two men, one a native of Madagascar and an Indian national were arrested. 0