Paignton Zoo has successfully hand-reared a rare pink pigeon squab for the first time.

The pink pigeon is a threatened species native to Mauritius. Once on the brink of extinction, wild numbers of pink pigeons were thought to have been as low as nine in 1991, but thanks to dedicated conservation efforts, including those by Paignton Zoo’s keeper Tom Tooley and his colleagues, the population has been significantly boosted.

The zoo said Mr Tooley, who has worked as a bird keeper at Paignton Zoo for more than 27 years, developed an innovative technique for hand-rearing the baby birds – also known as squabs - that have been abandoned or orphaned by their parents.

“I developed a method which involves attaching a carefully sized catheter to a syringe which can be gently placed on the squab’s tongue. This approach allows the squabs to naturally consume the hand-rearing formula, eliminating the need for crop tubing, which can be stressful and harmful to the birds,” said Mr Tooley, who has been teaching this hand-rearing technique to others for a number of years.

Pink pigeons are part of a European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), which was established to maintain healthy captive populations and safeguard genetic diversity.

Meanwhile, the Wild Planet Trust, which also works to halt species decline, co-ordinates wildlife conservation projects both in the UK and overseas.

Stephen Kings, CEO for Wild Planet Trust, said: “It’s been a fantastic year for our bird breeding programmes. Tom’s skilled approach to hand-rearing this squab, along with the collaborative efforts of our dedicated bird team, is yet another testament to our zoo-based expertise in wildlife conservation.”

Other successes the zoo has celebrated in 2024 include the ‘Love Lagoon’ flamingo programme this summer, which resulted in a number of healthy chicks, including one raised by a same-sex pair.

And in April, the Zoo celebrated the successful fledging of a Socorro dove, a species extinct in the wild.