Endangered birds fly onboard Air Seychelles
With the support of the Denis Private Island hotel (Seychelles), Air Seychelles recently flew endemic Seychelles paradise flycatchers from Denis, where they were introduced in 2008 as part of a national conservation programme, to Praslin, another island in the archipelago, to help save the threatened birds, which are currently listed as “critically endangered” by the international union for conservation of nature (IUCN).
The flycatchers, known locally as "vev", were transported on the airline’s twin otter aircraft inside specially-designed boxes with ventilation holes and branches for the birds to perch on. After reaching Praslin, they were taken by boat to the island of Curieuse by the Seychelles national parks authority, where they were released later after being given energy and rehydration fluid. (ah)