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  Channel NewsAsia 20 Nov 05
Fight on to save Japanese Yanbarukuina from extinction
JAPAN : The fight is on to save a Japanese bird from becoming extinct.

There are now only 1,000 Yanbarukuina left in the wild and they will vanish completely in five years time, if nothing is done. It got its name from Japan's Yanbaru mountains, where it was first discovered in 1981.

But in just 20 years, the flightless Yanbarukuina rail has been placed on The World Conservation Union's list of endangered species.

Experts say they are being killed off by wild animals which humans brought into the mountains. Many are also dying on the roads, run down by passing traffic.

But efforts are now on to save this rare species. Mr Kiyoaki Ozaki has done a number of surveys to study the bird's distribution and population trends. "This species is in danger. But if we act now, we can ensure it won't become extinct," said Kiyoaki Ozaki, who is the chief of the Bird Migration Research Centre at Yamashina Institute of Ornithology.

He is working with another researcher from the US who is studying the Guam rail, a bird closely related to the Yanbarukuina. Together they head to the forests of Yanbaru, north of Okinawa - a sanctuary for many wildlife species.

One unique thing about the Yanbarukuina is that it will always respond when it hears another calling. To find out the bird's population, Mr Ozaki plays recorded bird calls. But he says he has been hearing less and less responses to his recordings. To study their living area and habits, the birds are also captured. He then measures their size, fits them with a transmitter and draws their blood samples. After the birds are released, the researchers follow the signals from the transmitter with hand-held antennas.

They find out that each adult bird stays within its own territory of about 500 square metres. A fixed antenna is also used to track the Yanbarukuina's daily movements.

Mr Ozaki is hopeful his efforts will pay off and he will succeed in increasing the bird's current population of less than 1,000 in the wild.
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