The Darwin’s rhea is a massive, flightless bird that can run up to 37 miles per hour.
Known as ñandús in Chile and choiques in Argentina, the long-necked, ostrich-like birds are common throughout Patagonia — a stretch of wilderness that is larger than 80% of the countries on the planet.
But in Chile, the three-foot-tall bird is locally endangered — and teetering towards the brink of extinction. In turn, the grasslands of Chile have deteriorated considerably in health, as Darwin’s rheas play a crucial role in dispersing seeds and renewing vegetation.
Fortunately, wildlife experts are coming together to save the rare animal from extinction — and restore the grasslands of the Patagonian steppe.
Their efforts are culminating in the first-ever international translocation and release of a wild population in the Southern Cone (an expanse that includes Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay).
“We have sourced individual rheas from healthy and abundant populations in Patagonia Park, Argentina with minimal impact to the group,” Sebastian Di Martino, the conservation director of Rewilding Argentina, said in a press release.
In March, Di Martino coordinated with the Chilean Forestry Service, the Agricultural and Livestock Service, and Rewilding Chile to safely relocate 15 Darwin’s rheas from the province of Santa Cruz.
Although the journey was only 55 miles in total, it was a route that would have been impossible for the rheas to make on their own — given the number of livestock fences, enclosures, and ranchland dogs that stood in their way.
Cristian Saucedo, the director of wildlife for Rewilding Chile, said that the process for speedy capture, translocation, and reintroduction was spurred by a shared sense of urgency.
“The protocols to restore species across borders didn’t even exist until now,” Saucedo said. “Yet, out of necessity, our institutional systems are evolving to be more dynamic and responsive to crises. It’s an exciting time for rewilding.”
To mitigate concerns of avian flu, the Darwin’s rheas were carefully examined and quarantined — both in Argentina and then again in Chile. They were also briefly held in pens to help them acclimate to their new habitat.
This latest conservation mission would not have been possible without Rewilding Chile’s past success with reintroduction in April 2021, when a flock of young Darwin’s rheas were released after the chicks were handraised at the organization’s Reproduction Center.
Thanks to that venture, the local population tripled and expanded its territory by 30%.
Now, the added 15 rheas from Argentina are building onto that already thriving population.
“Today we’ve hit a historic milestone for rewilding,” said Kris Tompkins, president of Tompkins Conservation. “If we want to reverse the mass extinction crisis, international cooperation is going to be essential.”
Thompkins added: “I’m very proud of the work of our offspring organizations, and hope to say that this action broadens our expectations in restoring nature, because nature knows no borders.”
Header image via Tompkins Conservation
