A new museum dedicated to the extinct dodo is to be established - close to a 'mass grave' full of these birds - at Mare aux Songes in Mauritius.

The Ministry of Culture and Arts of the island nation in the Indian Ocean has asked the Dutch dodo research group to help create the new museum. The nearby swamp is the final resting place of the bones of more than half a million animals, including many dodos.
 
The mass grave offers a unique perspective on the ecosystem of Mauritius before man landed there. Researchers think there are about 23 species of vertebrates, including birds, lizards and giant tortoises. The location of the dodo museum is therefore more than just a memorial for an extinct bird, says expedition leader Kenneth Rijsdijk:
 
"Some of the bones we've unearthed are there for you to see. And besides, it tells the story of the dodos, the Dutch colonization, confirms that Dutch sailors did not eat them, and how man has changed further the ecosystem on Mauritius. "
 
Human influence
The children on Mauritius are taught that the Dutch ate so many dodos when they colonized the island that the one metre tall flightless bird became extinct. But Dutch research in the past six years has proved that not to be the case. The dodo perished because of the foreign animals that the sailors brought with them, such as rats, cats and dogs. These animals were responsible for the extinction of the birds, their eggs and chicks.
 
Rijsdijk: "The unique thing about Mauritius is that from the moment the Dutch, the first people on the island, arrived we know what man has done: What animals they have taken, and what impact the arrival of the Dutch and later the French and the English, had on the ecosystem. Such data are needed to estimate the effects of humans on ecosystems in the future. If we know this, we can adjust our policy."
 
Mauritius pays great attention to environmental education and conservation. But up to now there hasn't been a museum that shows how fragile nature can be preserved for the future. That knowledge is not only important for the islanders, but also for people in other vulnerable natural areas, such as the Galapagos Islands.

(as/mw)