3 rare black-necked storks hatched in Cambodia's wildlife sanctuary

Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-08 14:47:50|Editor: Chengcheng

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Three black-necked stork chicks have been hatched in Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary (KPWS) in the Northern Plains in Cambodia's Preah Vihear province, giving hope to the future conservation of this rare species in the country, a Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) statement said on Friday.

The black-necked stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) is a very rare bird species in Asia and is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as "near threatened", the statement said, adding that an estimated 15,000 to 35,000 individuals exist globally, with the vast majority of them in Australia.

"Less than 10 pairs are known to exist in Cambodia, the only country in Southeast Asia where the bird is regularly recorded," it said.

Yoeun Yerb, a WCS-supported nest protector, said he was happy to see these three black-necked stork chicks because they were a rare bird, not often seen in the forest.

"We achieved our goal of guarding the nest and strongly hope that others will help safeguard this species," he said.

The Bird Nest Protection Program in the Northern Plains of Cambodia is a payment structure designed to combat the threat of egg and chick collection, the statement said. Under the scheme, local people living in the protected areas are offered conditional payments if they successfully locate, monitor and protect nests until the birds fledge.

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Endangered Birds Take Flight

Seven critically endangered birds, including one of the most threatened in Southeast Asia, the White-shouldered Ibis, were released into the Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary’s Tmatboey Community Protected Area yesterday after being reared in captivity. 

According to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the society, in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, the Angkor Center for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB) and the Tmatboey Community Eco-tourism Center, released an endangered White-shouldered Ibis along with three Spotted Wood-owls, two Crested Serpent-eagles and one Brown Fish-owl.

Michael Meyerhoff, the ACCB curator, said the White-shouldered Ibis was underweight when it arrived at the ACCB, forcing staff at the center to rear the bird with minimal human interaction behind closed doors. 

After regular meals of insects, fish and frogs, the bird gained enough weight to feed itself, Mr. Meyerhoff added.

“As soon as the ibis had gained sufficient weight and was flying strongly we coordinated closely with WCS to find a suitable location for its release, near to where it was originally found. We released it near a pond in an area of forest that would provide the bird with food and shelter,” said Mr. Meyerhoff.

In May this year, the ibis was found by local community members of the Tmatboey Community Protected Area.

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