Gamblers accustomed to betting on horseflesh will get the chance this month to try their luck with birds.
Seabird biologists from the Tasmanian government and the U.K.-based Conservation Foundation have formed an unusual partnership with Ladbrokes--the world's biggest bookmaker--to track and time 18 Tasmanian shy albatrosses on their 10,000-kilometer austral autumn migration from Australia to South Africa.
Ladbrokes is footing the bill for fitting 27 of the birds--from a total of about 50,000--with satellite transmitters so scientists can track how long it takes juvenile albatrosses to complete their first migration. Scientists are particularly interested in seeing where the birds come into contact with longline fisheries. Lured by the bait, an estimated 300,000 seabirds are accidentally hooked and drowned each year.
In what they are calling the Big Bird Race ("the ultimate flutter"), Ladbrokes will take bets on the first albatross to reach Africa and the one with the fastest average speed. Each racer will be given a name and a celebrity "owner," and bettors will be able to follow their picks on Ladbrokes' Web site.
The race is the brainchild of Conservation Foundation seabird biologist Tim Nevard, who says the idea "just popped into my head." Profits will go to seabird conservation. Organizers also hope the race will encourage countries to sign the Agreement for the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, established in February, which aims to reduce seabird by-catch.
CREDIT: BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL | 
