In 1974, just four Mauritius kestrels remained in the wild; then Carl Jones brought the bird back from the brink of extinction, with numbers reaching around 600

• The Mauritius kestrel was once so close to extinction that only four known individuals remained in the wild, including a single breeding pair.
• Its survival seemed increasingly uncertain until Welsh conservationist Carl Jones and a team of researchers began an intensive effort to save the species.
• Through captive breeding, careful monitoring, supplementary feeding and the protection of nesting sites, conservationists gradually rebuilt its population.