Date of Issue : 20 July 2011
The rare birds featured in this stamp issue are the Henderson crake Porzana atra; the Henderson fruit dove Ptilinopus insularis; the Henderson reed warbler Acrocephalus taiti; the Henderson lorikeet Vini stephani and gives special attention to the Henderson petrel Pterodroma atreta.
It is the plight of the petrel that has captured the attention of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and they have initiated the Henderson Island Restoration Project which involves the planned eradication of introduced rats that are driving the Henderson petrel towards extinction. Over 95% of petrel chicks on Henderson are killed by rats within one week of hatching - over 25,000 chicks every year. These rats are also competing with the other land birds and therefore may be limiting their populations.
In August-September 2011, the RSPB operational vessel will be at Henderson, carrying two helicopters that will use GPS technology to methodically drop poison bait across the entire island. This highly targeted, short-term intervention will bring really long-term benefits: the Henderson petrel saved from its slide towards extinction, a large island restored and at least ten further unique species safeguarded for future generations to enjoy. The overall cost of the eradication project is in the region of GBP £1.5 – 1.7m.
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