Expansion of human population, excessive hunting and
loss of habitat in Hawaii made Nene numbers fall to
just 30 individuals in 1949.
The Nene has been rescued from the brink of extinction
by a long-running conservation programme. Breeding
programmes in Hawaii and at the Wildfowl and Wetlands
Trust in Britain have been working to breed captive
birds for release into the wild. By 1997, 2.450 birds
had been released.
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