1. Worlds rarest ducklingsMadagascan Pochards hatch!An informational presentation by KaileyFrench 2. 18 Madagascan Pochards where hatched on April6th 2012. These 18 baby ducklings are being closelymonitored and raised in a special build facility inAntsohihy, Madagascar. The birth of these ducklings brings the MadagascanPochards population up to only 60. These 18 hatched ducklings represent 1/3 of theMadagascan Pochard population 3. In the 1990s Madagascan Pochards werethought to be extinct, but were rediscovered in2006. 22 birds where spotted by a conservationiston Lake Matsaborimena also referred as RedLake, in northern Madagascar. Durrell and the WWT immediately launched anemergency mission to rescue the critically endangered birds in 2009. 4. The Rescue The aim was to collect eggs in order to start a captive breeding program thatwould protect the species and helprepopulate it. Conservationists are learning the skills needed to Conservationists collected 24 eggs from Care for breed and Pochards.nests around the edges of the lake. initially the ducklings were cultivated from their eggs in a hotel bathroom, while a captive breeding facility was being prepared. This is the first time Madagascan Pochards have been raised in captivity. 5. Peter Cranswick, head of species recovery at WWTexplained that, Lake Matsaborimena was the "last hidingplace for the ducks", and that it was "far from ideal". The initial investigation provided information suggestingthat their was not enough food, which was a cause forthe low population of the ducklings. In fact, more information provided that the ducklingsthere were starving to death. 6. The rescue team has hopes to build an environment in the future where the Madagascan Pochards can thrive andflourish in hope that they will repopulate far from extinction. 7. http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/17616488 http://www.google.com/imgres?q=madagascan+pochard&hl=en&safe=strict&biw=1280&bih=929&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=oQ5KzEZ2669HGM:&imgrefurl=http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/13/conservation-madagascar&docid=JGWfevTycxA9_M&imgurl=http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/11/12/1258049193038/Saving-pochard-duck-the-D-001.jpg&w=460&h=276&ei=VLaFT8CGA4Lh0QHa7_TsBw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=579&vpy=305&dur=147&hovh=174&hovw=290&tx=191&ty=93&sig=105207463076679654277&page=1&tbnh=138&tbnw=217&start=0&ndsp=25&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0,i:85 http://www.google.com/imgres?q=madagascan+pochards&hl=en&safe=strict&gbv=2&biw=1280&bih=929&tbm=isch&tbnid=xwa6Bfl_RNHBrM:&imgrefurl=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/09/madagascar-pochards-worlds-rarest-ducks_n_1412515.html&docid=qSDA2UM8D0wkiM&itg=1&imgurl=http://i.huffpost.com/gen/562119/thumbs/o-RARE-MADAGASCAR-DUCKS-570.jpg%253F4&w=570&h=444&ei=ZrqFT5XSOong0QHGgfHrBw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=614&vpy=145&dur=79&hovh=198&hovw=254&tx=130&ty=125&sig=105207463076679654277&page=1&tbnh=133&tbnw=208&start=0&ndsp=27&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:71