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Story summary
- South Downs National Park released 30 turtle doves in Selborne, Hampshire this spring.
- Park ranger Paul Bushell said the turtle dove is one of Europe’s fastest-declining birds.
- RSPB data show UK turtle dove numbers fell 98% from the late 1960s to 2023.
- The park authority plans to prepare an additional 100 doves for release next year.
- Conservationists aim to reverse the turtle dove’s brink-of-extinction status in the UK.
