Rheas

Overview

A small area in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is home to the only colony of wild rheas living in Europe. The forebears of these ostrich-like birds from South America escaped from an enclosure in northern Germany twenty years ago. Since then, they have been multiplying largely undisturbed. Farmers complain about crop losses and conservationists suspect an impact on rare insects. Now, a researcher is on the trail of Europe's largest birds.