And even though his country listed the species as protected in 1999 after his death, the hunt has gone on. In the new study, researchers went farther, calculating the risk of the bird's extinction under several scenarios. "Ending the hunt would give the ortolan an average of twice the chance of survival," Jiguet said. Last week, France's highest court upheld a ruling that fined hunters who had violated the laws on ortolan hunting. But for Jiguet, recent studies have "helped the government to make decisions, and hunters to accept them."

Source: Bangkok Post May 22, 2019 22:30 UTC