LAKE TINSILT, Algeria: Around 300 pink flamingo chicks were rescued by volunteers in eastern Algeria after Lake Tinsilt, where they hatched, dried up due to prolonged high temperatures and drought. This large wetland, spanning over 20 square kilometers, is located approximately 450 kilometers southeast of the capital, Algiers.
Each year, thousands of flamingos migrate to nest at Lake Tinsilt. However, this year, the lake’s water disappeared rapidly, leaving behind a vast expanse of cracked earth and carcasses of dead birds. The high temperatures and ongoing drought have driven the adult flamingos away, leaving their unhatched eggs and vulnerable chicks behind. Many of these chicks faced hunger, thirst, poaching, and wolf attacks, leading to numerous deaths.
A group of dedicated volunteers, led by local amateur photographer Tarek Kawajlia, initiated a rescue operation. They used cars and trucks to transfer 283 pink flamingos to Lake Mahidiya, located about 50 kilometers away. This wetland, near Ain Mlila, remains sustained by a steady flow of water from nearby rivers and lakes.
Kawajlia, who documents local wildlife, noticed the shrinking lake and the fleeing birds. The volunteers conducted morning and evening patrols to monitor the chicks until they recovered and were able to fly. Their goal was to ensure that the birds could return to the marsh next year, allowing life to resume its normal course.
Despite their efforts, the volunteers couldn’t save all the birds. Mourad Ajroud, a 53-year-old volunteer, expressed his sorrow, noting that some birds could not be transported in time. However, the operation was largely successful. Shortly after the chicks were released at Lake Mahidiya, some adult flamingos joined them, reuniting with their young in a heartwarming scene.
Lake Tinsilt is one of around 50 bodies of water in Algeria designated as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. Last year, about a hundred pink flamingos died at Lake Telamine in western Algeria’s Oran province due to wastewater pollution, highlighting ongoing environmental challenges in the region.
