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Pink pigeons in Mauritius made a remarkable comeback from near-extinction – but are still losing genetic diversity

By Cock Van Oosterhout, Professor of Evolutionary Genetics, University of East Anglia
Jim Groombridge, Professor of Biodiversity Conservation, University of Kent
Back in the 1980s there were just ten or so pink pigeons left in the wild. Known to scientists as Nesoenas mayeri, the species is found only on Mauritius, the Indian Ocean island that was once home to the dodo. Like the dodo, the pink pigeon made an easy target for cats, rats and other predators introduced by humans, who also chopped down almost all of their native forest. Unlike the dodo, however, the pink pigeon has since made a remarkable recovery.


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