10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2012

The land was of course already occupied by San (Bushmen) hunter-gatherers for millennia and more recently Bantu tribes of the Nguni branch (most notably Zulus and Xhosas). This bird breeds in the forests of the Transkei area and is only a winter visitor to KwaZulu-Natal. It was discovered in KwaZulu-Natal province by Dr Andrew Smith.

Mozambique 180

Mozambique South Africa Africa Collecting 180

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2011

So, one might surmise, it’s OK if they get shot by hunters thinking they’re sandhill cranes? Another 170 are in captivity, many of them breeding stock for reintroduction efforts. What could motivate gunmen (I cannot call them hunters) in two states to deliberately kill North America’s tallest and most critically endangered bird?

2011 238

2011 Hunting Kentucky Hunters 238

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

Still, I can’t help thinking that there is some parallel between the mass slaughter of the Passenger Pigeon in 19th-century North America and the mass slaughter of songbirds in southern European countries today. Or the destruction of the forests, food source and breeding grounds. Or the absence of legal protection.

2014 159

2014 Killing Michigan Kentucky 159