Healthy new generation of world's rarest duck gives fresh hope for species recovery
Friday 21 August 2026
Six Madagascar pochards successfully reared after eggs were collected from the wild and carried 44km on foot - a conservation breakthrough that gives scientists a powerful new tool to help protect the species.
Six Madagascar pochards are giving fresh hope for the future of the world’s rarest duck after conservationists successfully reared birds from eggs collected from the wild and transported to Durrell’s specialist breeding centre in Antsohihy, where they were incubated and raised to adulthood.
The achievement shows Madagascar pochard eggs can be safely collected from the wild and moved to the captive breeding centre for incubation and hatching, giving conservationists another option when nests are threatened and field incubation isn’t possible.
The six birds hatched from 15 fertile eggs collected at the species’ only known wild nesting site at Lake Matsaborimena in Madagascar. Durrell staff worked alongside staff from The Peregrine Fund, which manages Bemanevika Protected Area, to collect the eggs. Durrell staff then carried the eggs 44km on foot in a cooler using a traditional Malagasy method before they were transported to Durrell’s specialist breeding centre in Antsohihy.
Now the birds have reached adulthood, conservationists have shown that this approach can successfully produce healthy birds, providing an important new tool to help protect the species in future breeding seasons.
Roland Digby, Conservation Biologist at Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, said:
“This is an important milestone for the Madagascar pochard. We’ve shown that, when conditions demand it, we can safely collect eggs from the wild, transport them on foot and successfully incubate and rear healthy birds. That gives us another valuable conservation tool to help secure the future of this remarkable species.
“Every breeding season matters when a species survives at just one wild site, so having another proven conservation tool could make a real difference.”
Once thought extinct, the Madagascar pochard was discovered surviving in the wild at a single lake in north-west Madagascar. Since its rediscovery in 2006, Durrell has worked to help recover the species by establishing a captive population, carrying out reintroductions, restoring habitat and supporting conservation livelihoods to give the duck the best possible chance of survival.
Rebecca Brewer, Chief Executive Officer of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, said:
“For many people, this is a story about six ducks. For us, it’s about what long-term conservation can achieve. Recovering a species like the Madagascar pochard doesn’t happen in a few months or even a few years. It takes persistence, partnerships and a willingness to keep going when the work becomes difficult. This is what long-term conservation is all about.”
The original captive population was established using eggs collected in 2009. Today, around 180 Madagascar pochards exist across captive and wild populations, including 51 birds at Durrell’s breeding centre in Antsohihy, 82 wild birds at Bemanevika and 74 birds at Lake Sofia, established through Durrell’s reintroduction programme. The success of this latest rescue provides conservationists with another proven option for protecting the species when nests are threatened by flooding or predators, particularly when incubating eggs at the breeding site is not possible because of power, transport or other logistical challenges.
Durrell’s Madagascar pochard recovery programme is delivered with conservation partners in Madagascar, including The Peregrine Fund, Madagascar National Parks, the Madagascar Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development, and local communities around Lake Sofia.
The programme is also made possible thanks to the generous support of Durrell’s donors and funding partners, including Indianapolis Zoo, the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, Fota Wildlife Park. Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust and Synchronicity Earth.