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Episode details

World Service,28 Nov 2023,9 mins

The bird that defied extinction

Witness History

Available for over a year

In 1969, a Peruvian farmer called Gustavo Del Solar received an unusual assignment - finding a bird called the white-winged guan that had been regarded as extinct for a century. After years of searching, he found the bird deep in Peru’s wilderness in 1977. He then made it his life’s mission to save the species, setting up a zoo in his family home. Thanks to Gustavo's discovery, the Peruvian government protected the white-winged guan and its population continued to grow. His son, Rafael Del Solar, tells Ben Henderson about his dad's love for the 'chicken-sized' birds. (Photo: Gustavo Del Solar with a white-winged guan. Credit: Rafael Del Solar/El Comercio)

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