Mangarahara Cichlid Saved?

Time for a feel good story. Earlier this year the Zoological Society of London thought they had the  two of the last 3 Mangarahara Cichlid , Ptychochromis insolitus in the world. The last fish was in Berlin. The problem was that all 3 fish were males. In a bid to save the species they sent a message to aquarists around the world to see if anyone had a female that could be used to save the species.

The result was better than they could ever have expected. A Malagagasy businessman contacted Zoological Society of London and told them about a small river tributary in madagascar that he knew of where the species was still living and perhaps even breeding.

The Zoological Society of London sent out a an expedition that was able to confirm the information and found a living  population. They collected a handful (18) of Mangarahara Cichlids and brought them back to a private aquaculture facility to be a part of a breeding program to help save this endangered species. A species that seemed doomed to disappear now have a new lease on life.