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ScienceDaily_2014 13838.txt

#Strange bird, sea turtle hatchlings released on protected Indonesian beachworking on a remote and protected beach in Indonesia conservationists from the Wildlife Conservation Society and PALSÂ#local partner organizationâ#ecently celebrated the release of rare animal hatchlings into the wild part of a plan to save the olive ridley sea turtle and an extraordinary bird called the maleo. On February 23 on Sulawesiâ##s Binerean Cape conservation managers released two newly hatched maleo chicks which quickly flew into the forest and 34 newly hatched olive ridley sea turtles which crawled into the sea. All hatchlings emerged from protected nests on a 950-meter beach that is now owned and managed by PALS (Pelestari Alam Liar dan Satwa or Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation). â#oethe joint release of maleos and olive ridleys on the same day is a boost to the conservation of both species in Sulawesiâ#said Noviar Andayani Country Director for WCSÂ##s Indonesia Program and participant in the Maleo Conservation Project. â#oethe protection of the beachfront lands which are critical nesting grounds for both species will help safeguard this part of Indonesiaâ##s natural heritage. â#The hatchling release comes soon after the October 2013 purchase of the Binerean beach site from various land owners by PALS with the assistance of WCS and donors. The goal of the acquisition: to protect nesting grounds for threatened species and a wider range of species sharing the same habitat. In addition to land purchases the project recruits both local rangers and even former maleo hunters to guard nests from egg poachers. The most threatened of the beach nestersâ#he maleoâ#s a chicken-sized bird with a black helmet (or casque) yellow facial skin a red-orange beak and a nesting strategy more reptilian than avian. After burying their eggs in sunbaked beaches or in some instances volcanically heated soil the maleo parents abandon their nest. After an incubation period of approximately 70 days the chicks emerge fully feathered able to fly and fend for themselves. The maleoâ##s entire range is limited to the islands of Sulawesi and Buton and the estimated population numbers 8000-14000 mature individual birds (4000-7000 breeding pairs. The bird is listed as Endangered on the IUCNÂ##s Red List and is threatened by egg harvesting and habitat loss. Nest abandonment is normal for sea turtles such as the olive ridley one of three threatened sea turtle species known to nest on the Binerean Cape area. Weighing up to 100 pounds the olive ridley is one of the smallest sea turtle species . Although widely distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical seas of the world the olive ridley turtle is listed still as Vulnerable on IUCNÂ##s Red List. The species is threatened by egg harvesting and direct hunting. â#oethe round-the-clock monitoring of maleo and sea turtle nests on this protected beach prevents the exploitation of these species a threat that still frequently occurs at other sitesâ#said Dr. Peter Clyne Deputy Director of WCSÂ##s Asia Program. â#oewe hope to extend the program to adjacent coastal areas and perhaps other sites where these species still persist. â #In addition to conservation efforts in the field WCS also works to conserve maleos at its Bronx Zoo headquarters where curators have reared successfully maleo chicks by recreating the specialized conditions needed for successful reproduction and incubation. The project managers thank the following contributors: Heidi and Harvey Bookman and the Critically Endangered Animals Conservation Fund of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by Wildlife Conservation Society. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length d

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