By BRIDGET COOK
MOONLIT Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park has taken the plight of the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot under its wing.
Next week the Pearcedale animal sanctuary will celebrate an exciting milestone in their breeding program as they send their first bird of the species, named Tas, into the wild population in Tasmania.
Park director Michael Johnson said the bird was regarded as critically endangered, the highest conservation category before extinction, and Moonlit was doing what it could to help the species.
“There are fewer than 70 of the birds in the wild,” he said.
“They only breed in south-west Tasmania, then migrate each winter to feed on the salt-marsh along the Victorian coastline, from Inverloch to Goolwa in South Australia.
“This migration is one of the things that make them unique, as only two other parrot species in the world migrate.
“Their habitat in Victoria is extremely narrow, only a few metres wide, being the salt marsh that sits between the high tide mark and the tree line.
“The reasons for them becoming endangered appear to be introduced animals in Tasmania pushing them out of their nest hollows, and the loss of their saltmarsh winter habitat on the mainland.
“However, once numbers became low minor events caused even more drastic declines.”
Mr Johnson said Moonlit started a breeding program as the bird was a local species to them.
“Their winter habitat is found within metres of the boundary of our property,” he said.
“The aim is to breed up substantial numbers of birds for release, to break the downward spiral.
“It is working as wild numbers have grown from around 40 two years ago to around 70 today.
“Last year, we built a specialised facility to breed them, however unfortunately it was completed a little late for the breeding season.
“This year, we hope to breed substantially more birds.
“Moonlit Sanctuary is dedicated to the conservation of endangered species, and projects like this are the very core of our reason for being.”
Tas will head to Tasmania next Wednesday. He will then undergo a series of health checks and be made ready for release this coming spring with birds from other breeding centres.
“We then hope he will find a mate and breed, adding to the wild population,” Mr Johnson said.
