Mauritius Pink Pigeon Nesoenas mayeri

The Mauritius Pink Pigeon is found in the wild only in Mauritius and was close to extinction in 1991, largely due to destruction of its forest habitat.

Other causes for its near extinction included hunting and introduction of foreign predators, particularly feral cats.

An intensive conservation programme is underway for its survival in the wild. This includes a captive breeding programme led by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, habitat restoration, monitoring of released birds and control of predators. The programme has stemmed the decline and increased the wild population from just 9 birds to over 400 (by 2012).