Rare 'Little Dodo' Manumea Spotted in Samoa, Igniting Hope for Survival

• Critically endangered manumea, a dodo relative, sighted in Samoa's remote Uafato rainforest.
• Samoa Conservation Society confirmed 5 encounters during an October-November survey, marking the first sustained evidence in over a decade.
• The elusive bird, Samoa's national bird, faces severe threats from habitat loss, illegal hunting, and invasive predators like feral cats, rats, and pigs.
• Conservation efforts include expanded predator control, biobanking, genetic research (Colossal Biosciences), and community reporting.
• Experts emphasize that habitat protection and predator control are crucial for the species' long-term survival, despite technological advancements.

Why It Matters: Rare sightings of the manumea in Samoa offer a fragile hope for the critically endangered 'little dodo's' survival.