On a Wing and a Prayer
 Playful, mischievous and highly intelligent, Carnaby’s Black Cockatoos are adored by thousands, hunted by many and saved by few. Endemic to the south-west region of Western Australia, only a small pocket of these large, gregarious birds remain and these are permanently under threat. Some are still being poached and smuggled for private collections. Many are illegally shot. Together with land clearing, loss of native food habitat and injury from man-made structures, the Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo is plummeting towards extinction.
Species recovery is an uphill struggle, only two percent of new-born chicks make it to adulthood. The odds are against them. Hope for their future lies in the hands of the local community and one man in particular, Senior Wildlife Investigator Rick Dawson.
This year Rick is determined to protect one small family of Carnaby’s Black Cockatoos at a ‘high risk’ nesting site he calls ‘The Stump’. Over the last four years the parents have lost their chicks to poachers. With their species numbers more than halved over the last forty years, it is vital for the survival of their kind that the Stump pair breeds successfully this season. Rick will do whatever it takes to make it happen.
‘On a Wing and a Prayer’ follows the incredible life cycle of this family of striking birds as they migrate to breeding grounds in the south-west of Western Australia. Every milestone in their struggle to survive is documented through the engaging story of The Stump family. This is a story of love, loss and sheer endurance.
With special access granted to our film-makers and photographed in stunning HD,
‘On a Wing and a Prayer’ will enter the extraordinary world of the Black Cockatoo, capturing a remarkable never filmed before journey of life and hope for one of Australia’s most loved, but critically endangered birds.
|
