The last 12 breeding pairs of the beach stone-curlew bird indigenous to the Australaia region are under threat from feral foxes in New South Wales (NSW).

The aboriginal community in the coastal bushland has now taken up action to protect the rare birds by laying fox traps, Xinhua news agency reported.

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Conserving the ground-nesting birds is important as there are only 12 breeding pairs left, said Banahm Slabb from the Tweed Byron Aboriginal Land Council.

The foxes were first introduced Down Under from Europe in the mid-1800s for sport hunting. Later they proliferated on minimal competition and have now started affecting native species. (IANS)