this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2023
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Prehistoric bird once thought extinct returns to New Zealand wild (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 1 year ago by anon6789@beehaw.org to c/science@beehaw.org
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In New Zealand, the return of wild takahē populations marks a cautiously celebrated conservation victory, and the return of one of the world’s rarest creatures. The birds had been formally declared extinct in 1898, their already-reduced population devastated by the arrival of European settlers’ animal companions: stoats, cats, ferrets and rats. After their rediscovery in 1948, their numbers are now at about 500, growing at about 8% a year.

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[–] Laticauda@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 year ago

In the article:

Their presence in Aotearoa dates back to at least the prehistoric Pleistocene era, according to fossil remains.

It just means the species has been around since the prehistoric era.