Please support our breeding programmes and help us to conserve some of the world's rarest birds
Help us protect the next generation
At many WWT centres, Nenes are nesting again. Their desire to produce goslings is a certain sign that Spring is coming. Their desire is also a reminder that these are birds of conservation legend...
A legend because almost 60 years ago, these tame and gentle natured geese numbered fewer than 50 birds on the volcanic slopes of Hawaii. To many people, the species' chances of survival in the wild appeared very slim. But extinction did not have to be the birds' destiny. Indeed extinction was averted, at the eleventh hour, by a conservation breeding programme established by WWT and American agencies.
Back then, Sir Peter Scott, WWT's founder, was determined to use breeding programmes not just to save species such as Nene through captive breeding and release schemes, but also, to raise awareness about the value of natural things.
WWT's breeding programmes have also enabled research into methods to conserve wild waterfowl and their habitats. Our tame birds serve as a living scientific resource as they are unafraid of people and can be observed more closely than birds in the field.
How you can help
To meet the demands of the 2008 breeding season for all our wildfowl and flamingos, we need your help. Your donations would help with the following:
- A gift of £25 will make a nest box for mergansers or any other hole-nesting species.
- A gift of £50 will feed a brood of 6 merganser ducklings over the two month period it takes them to become fully feathered.
- A larger donation of £100 will help us to equip and run a Duckery nursery coop with heat lamps and comforters ensuring up to 100 newly hatched arrivals are kept safe and warm.
Every donation counts, so please support us today.