DARWIN'S RHEAS: Women-Led Team Brings 13 Back to Chilean Patagonia Wilderness...

In April 2026, a women-led team at Chile's Patagonia National Park will release 13 Darwin's rheas—flightless birds smaller than ostriches—into the wild as part of one of South America's largest rewilding efforts. The Chacabuco Valley spent over a century as sheep and cattle ranches, fragmenting the Patagonian steppe and nearly erasing the species. After Tompkins Conservation acquired the land and removed thousands of kilometers of fencing, the team now faces the challenge of preparing these birds for survival against pumas, extreme winds, and temperature swings—a process requiring nearly a year of careful conditioning and round-the-clock care from dedicated rangers.