THERE’S been a blush of interest in a pink pigeon that some think may be a rare species from 6,300 miles (10,080 kilometers) away in Mauritius. The exotic-looking creature was spotted in Bracknell, Berkshire, the U.K. by Ben Hanks, 26, and looks similar to the Nesoenas Mayeri pink pigeons — native to Mauritius. There are fewer than 500 of the colorful birds left — and it seems one could have made its way to Arlington Square business park in Bracknell. Hanks, an accountant, was enjoying a lunch outside with a friend when he spotted the bird searching for food near his office. Hanks, from Arborfield, Berkshire, said, “I have never seen anything like this before and we were both very confused when we first spotted it. “I reached for my phone to take a photo immediately as I didn’t think anyone would believe me if I didn’t have evidence. “We did find it very funny, but then tried to come to some form of explanation behind its coloring. “There were no other pigeons or birds around, just this one pecking at the ground. It didn’t seem bothered by us at all.” Listed as vulnerable by conservationists, pink pigeons are almost exclusively found living in Mauritius and Madagascar, in the Indian Ocean. In 1991 pink pigeons were on the verge of extinction and numbers slumped to as low as 10. Numbers of the tropical bird have steadily increased and it’s now thought there are around 500 living in the wild. (SD-Agencies) |