Students monitor endangered bird

The team will help monitor the reintroduced birds

Zoology students and staff from Dundee University are to help in a project which has seen a rare bird reintroduced into the rainforest of Trinidad.

The blue and gold macaw was made extinct on the island about 15 years ago and is still an endangered species.

The team of 13 academics will head to the area in June to work alongside the Trinidad and Tobago Zoological Society.

As well as the reintroduction of the macaw they will help out on a number of other environmental schemes.

Expedition leader, Dr Stephen Hubbard, said: "We have a lot of expertise on tropical birds here at Dundee so it is a natural project for our staff and students to work on."

'Conservation prospects'

The Dundee University team will help observe and gather important data on how many macaw there are and their distribution.

Student Sian Foch-Gatrell said they would also work on other conservation schemes.

She said: "There is an ongoing endangered West Indian manatee project over there which we can get involved with."

Manatees are large, plant eating, marine animals, also known as sea cows.

The team will also look at ways of protecting manatees

Ms Foch-Gatrell added: "Our work will be looking at how we can improve the conservation prospects for the small population of manatees in the area.

"We are also hoping to look into the effects of introducing Guppies, a freshwater fish native to parts of Central America, as a form of biological control to areas in the world currently affected by malarial mosquitoes.

"In the past, attempts to eradicate malaria have been done via the use of harmful pesticides which are persistent in the environment for long after the initial spraying event."

The students and staff have been fundraising for their conservation trip.

They have so far raised more than half of their target of £17,000 with events including bag packing, a spring ball and a match day collection at Dundee United football club.