|
|
Home > News > 12,000 chicks estimated at Kamfers Dam
|
12,000 chicks estimated at Kamfers Dam
01 Feb 2009 - Provided by Mark Anderson
Using high resolution aerial photos of Kamfers Dam's breeding island taken on 17 January 2009, Mark and Tania Anderson have estimated that the island has 6,748 Lesser Flamingo chicks and an additional 6,004 incubating adults. Thus, there could be more than 12,000 chicks this season, perhaps
considerably more if the breeding season is protracted - the flamingos
started breeding six weeks earlier this season compared with the 2007/8 season, which produced 9,000 chicks.
This is a major contribution to the declining population of this
Near-threatened species and a major achievement for all those involved and especially Ekapa Mining who funded and constructed
the breeding island.
Kamfers Dam is:
- the only locality where Lesser Flamingos are recorded to have bred in South Africa;
- only one of
four breeding sites in Africa; and
- one of only six breeding sites
globally.
Importantly, Lesser Flamingos often do not breed successfully at the other breeding sites. For example, at Etosha Pan, they are only
successful on average every 10 years. If the Lesser Flamingos breed
annually at Kamfers Dam, they could possibly reverse the negative
population trend of the species in southern Africa.
Many thanks to Peter Hohne for sponsoring the helicopter flight and Tania Anderson for all her hard work (and late nights)
counting the chicks.
Finally, if you have not yet signed the petition and
donated funds to the flamingo conservation work at Kamfers Dam, please
visit www.savetheflamingo.co.za.
Related Resources:
|
|
|
|
