SA conservationists a step closer to saving endangered flamingos
Fitted with a satellite tracking device, a female Lesser Flamingo has made its way back to Southern Africa, after being located in Madagascar for two years.
As part of a study driven by local conservationists - the bird was one of twelve flamingos selected to determine the migration route of the near threatened species, found in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Endangered Wildlife Trust's Lourens Leeuwner says this was also to mitigate one of the leading causes that endanger the species - that's colliding with power lines.
"It's an Eskom development and research project. We were trying to determine which power line would be most suited to the fitment of anti-collision devices. These devices light up at night and as flamingos fly at night, which we have now confirmed with this research, we'd be well informed to mark very specific sections of power lines to prevent a collision. That's where the whole projected started," he said.
Leeuwner says with the data collected, researchers now know the exact time flamingos begin their flight, as well as their migration patterns.
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He says the big surprise was Kucki's flight, as the female Lesser flamingo is now known, that covered a distance of 927km between Madagascar and Mozambique after two years on the island.