Ten rare doves called Luzon Bleeding Heart, from a threatened species that is endemic to the Philippines, were flown home from Singapore, where scientists helped them battle extinction, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
The 10 are among 60 Luzon Bleeding Hearts at the Jurong Bird Park. Eight years ago, there were just two. Ambassador to Singapore Joseph del Mar Yap received the 10 winged repatriates from park officials, the DFA said.
The Luzon Bleeding-Hearts are ground-dwellers and native to the rainforests of central and southern Luzon, as well as in the neighboring Polillo Islands.
The dove, whose name is derived from its striking appearance, is listed as near-threatened under the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Endangered Species due to poaching and habitat loss. A near-threatened species is five steps away from extinction.
The birds are undergoing quarantine again before their reintroduction into the wild.
