The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation has put greeting cards on sale. They are at Rs 15.00 each and are as follows:

MAURITIUS DODO Raphus cucullatus

The Dodo was a large flightless pigeon that became extinct in the 1660's. its strong curved beak may have been adapted to feed on hard endemic fruits and seeds. Ecological folklore says that the Dodo was necessary for the germination of one of Mauritius's disappearing endemic tree species, the Tambalacoque Sideroxylon grandiflorum; hypothesizing that the fruit had to pass through the Dodo gut before it could germinate. The Tambalacoque is not currently able to regenerate naturally in the wild, but this is mainly due to the predation of its slow maturing fruits and seeds by introduced monkeys.

Model of the Dodo Raphus cucullatus photographed at Ile aux Aigrettes Nature Reserve, in what would have been its natural habitat.

The Dodo was a large flightless pigeon. It became extinct during the Dutch occupation of Mauritius (1644-1712) probably in the 1660's. Early settlers killed Dodos for food in large numbers. The Dodo had evolved without predators and it was not adapted to avoiding attack. It lived and nested on the ground and so was also an easy prey for introduced feral dogs, cats, pigs and rats.

The shape of the Dodo has been the subject of much debate. Experts now believe that it went through thin and fat cycles. This model is believed to be the most accurate and was made by Dr Andrew Kitchener of the Royal Museum of Scotland.

Rodrigues and Mauritius used to be home to 4 unique species of giant tortoise, now extinct. They were able to evolve gigantism because they lived in an environment free of major predators and mammalian competitors. The giant tortoises that you can see today in Mauritius and Rodrigues originate from the Indian Ocean island of Aldabra.

The Rodrigues tortoises were over-exploited to extinction. Tortoise hunters collected the animals and kept them in corrals for shipping. Thousands were taken on board ship alive, whilst others were boiled down for their fat. At least 500 animals were needed to make 1 barrel of oil. Giant tortoises could be kept alive on ship for many months without food and water. They provided meat and valuable oil that was a cure for scurvy. Rodriguan tortoises had become very scarce by the late 1700's. Two were collected in a valley in 1802. Rodrigues tortoises were never seen again.

This Illustration shows the 2 species of Rodrigues Giant Tortoise - the smaller domed Cylindraspis peltastes and larger saddle-backed Cylindraspis voslaeri. Feeding amongs the herds were large numbers of Rodrigues Blue Rails Aphanapterix legauti and Rodrigues starlings Necropsar rodericanus, both of which fed on Tortoise eggs and young. These tortoises were so densely populated that François Leguat (1691) noted: "There are on this island such great abundances of these tortoises, that one sees troops of 2 or 3 thousand, such that one can make more than a hundred steps on their backs without touching the ground".

RODRIGUES NIGHT HERON Nycticorax megacephalus and RODRIGUES DAY GECKO Phelsuma edwardnewtoni

The night heron had poor powers of flight but very strong legs. It was known to feed on day geckos, searching on the ground and purportedly shaking them from young endemic screw pine trees Pandanus heterocarpus. The night heron became extinct c.1750, the causes are not known. The day gecko quickly succumbed to rats on the main island but survived on the islets around Rodrigues until 1917, by which time rats had colonised all the islets.

Hibiscus fragilis known as Mandrinette or Augérine by Mark Fothergill.

From Curtis's Botanical Magazine. Reproduced with the permission of the Bentham-Moxon Trust and Trustees if the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.

This beautiful ornamental shrub, with delicate branches, deep green glossy leaves and pinkish-red flowers is endemic to Mauritius. Hibiscus fragilis is adapted to growing in exposed mountainous habitats. In 1998 only 15 plants survived in the wild. Now 200 plants have been propagated at MWF's Ile aux Aigrettes nursery and planted into that nature reserve.

Hyophorbe lagenicaulis - BY CHRISTABEL KING
(Round Island Bottle Palm or Palmiste Bouteille)

Endemic to Round Island, it is much prized for its curious bottle-shaped trunk. This palm is frequently planted in civic landscape projects (roadside, alleys, roundabouts) although it is very rare in the wild, with only eight to ten plants on Round Island in the 1980's. the bottle palm has greatly suffered from habitat destruction. Following introduced rabbit and goat eradication from Round Island, the bottle palm is regenerating with a remarkable pace.

The Echo Parakeet Psittacula eques. Drawing by Mike Bungard.

Echo Parakeets were once common in Mauritius but began to decline in numbers and range by the mid 1800's. in 1986, the population was 8-12 individuals, with only 3 know females of breeding age - making the Echo Parakeet the world's rarest parrot. This population decline was the result of man-made threats - the rapid and massive destruction of Mauritius's native forests, combined with the growing impact of exotic predators and invasive weeds that had been introduced by man.

The Pink Pigeon Columba mayeri. Drawing by Mike Bungard

The Pink Pigeon is Mauritius's last surviving endemic pigeon and still one of the rarest pigeons in the world. Its cousin the Dodo, a large flightless pigeon, is the symbol of extinction. The Pink Pigeon has been saved from that fate by conservationists. The MWF team has successfully pulled the Pink Pigeon back from the brink of extinction through a programme of hands-on wild management, captive rearing, and release.

Last update: 24 November 2008