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Mauritian Wildlife Foundation
Grannum Road, Vacoas, Mauritius.
Email: lraffray "at" mwf.intnet.mu

The Endangered Pink Pigeon Streptopila mayeri is endemic to Mauritius. In 1986, only 12 pigeons could be found, at Pigeon Wood. That year, five nesting attempts were recorded. All failed due to predation by Ship Rats. and The main reasons for the decline of the Pink Pigeon population have been habitat loss from forest destruction and habitat degradation caused by invasive exotic weed species, primarily Chinese Guava and privet which invade and choke the forest thus preventing the regeneration of native plant species.The first trial release of captive-bred birds was attempted at the Pamplemousses Botanic Gardens in 1984. The first release into their native habitat occurred in the upland forest of Brise Fer in 1991. In addition to the release of captive bred birds back to the wild, the management of each subpopulation is very intensive and done through the following measures: predator control, supplemental feeding and population monitoring.

(See the MVF for more information on their work with the Pink Pigeon and see also the Pink Pigeon breeding program of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation trust in the Ex Situ section).

Nature Seychelles
P.O. Box 1310, The Centre for Environment & Education
Roche Caiman, Mahe, Republic of Seychelles.
Email: nature "at" seychelles.net

Nature Seychelles is carrying out monitoring of the Seychelles Blue Pigeon Alectroenas pulcherrima (Least Concern) on Cousin island and looking at its diet and role in seed distribution. 

University of East Anglia, UK
During the 2004/2005 academic year three students on the M.Sc. Applied Ecology and Conservation course at UEA studied the Pink Pigeon Streptopila mayeri on Mauritius. These project are mostly supervised by Dr Diana Bell (d.bell "at" uea.ac.uk).

Kelly Edmunds k.edmunds "at" uea.ac.uk:
Resource utilisation: territory distribution and supplementary food use by the Endangered Pink Pigeon Columbia mayeri.

Dan Gordon-Lee:
Flying further for freedom? Exploring linkages between life history, territorial attributes and independence from supplementary food in the Endangered Mauritian Pink Pigeon.

Amruta Natha Rane (a.rane "at" uea.ac.uk:
Restoring the Endangered Pink Pigeons (Columba mayeri) and Echo Parakeets (Psittacula eques) in Mauritius: Feeding Ecology.

In addition Nancy Bunbury (n.bunbury "at" uea.ac.uk) studed Parasitic disease in the endangered Mauritian Pink Pigeon as part of her PhD 2002-2006.

See also the publications pages for the contact details of authors of recent scientific papers dealing with the ecology and conservation of pigeons.

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