Britain's last male Spoon-billed Sandpiper dies, but battle will go on to save species from global extinction

Spoon-billed Sandpiper in the wild

THE  last Spoon-billed Sandpiper in the conservation breeding programme at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's Slimbridge HQ has died.

Its sad demise was on November 11 - exactly 13 years to the day that it arrived in a batch of 13 chicks as part of a captive breeding project known as headstarting.

The scheme attracted worldwide publicity and enjoyed  widespread global support, not least in Russia where this endangered species breeds and in China where some spend winter on the coastal mudflats.

An apparent consequence of the Russia-Ukraine conflict is that, for political and logistical reasons, it has not been possible in recent years to continue raising chicks in confinement, subsequently to be returned to the wild.

But the organisation, Birds Russia, is continuing to monitor the fortunes of released birds at their breeding grounds  on the coastal tundra in north-eastern Russia.

And good news came, pre-Christmas, from Jodie Clements, conservation breeding officer at Slimbridge.

Said she: "The headstarting project in Chukotka, Russia, is set to resume activity in summer 2025. 

"Equipment and facilities were checked and tested this summer during the annual expedition lead by Birds Russia to monitor the sandpipers and other waders in this location."

"WWT will only be serving an advisory role in any future captive breeding attempts, so will not be receiving SBS eggs for the foreseeable future.

"The Birds Russia team are equipped to conduct the headstarting project in Chukotka, Russia, without WWT staff present. 

"However, we will be very happy to maintain an advisory role where appropriate."

Released birds are marked with coloured leg-rings so they can be tracked throughout their breeding, migrating and wintering locations. 

Monitoring is vital because it offers valuable  insights into how much time is left to save the species from extinction, as well as into helping identify challenges in their various habitats.

In China, there is said to be a moratorium on coastal reclamation in some areas in order to save and protect intertidal wetland ecosystems for waders such as 'spoonies'. 

But, despite education efforts, they are still thought to be vulnerable to hunting and trapping in their main wintering ground, the Gulf of Mottama in Myanmar.

Over the past 13 years, some 236 'spoonie' chicks have been released into the wild from various sources.

The last Slimbridge bird was one of two, both males, that died in November.

The last female, meanwhile, breathed her last in summer 2021.

Following post-mortem and histopathology examinations , the carcasses are all preserved in case of follow-up examination or for research purposes. 

According to Jodie, following examination, none of the carcasses is in a suitable state for use in taxidermy.

*Photographs: WWT, Slimbridge

                                               

Gently does it - a colour ring is attached to a 'spoonie' prior to its release