Conservationists in Cambodia have released two captive-bred Greater Adjutant Stork chicks into the wild, marking a major breakthrough in efforts to save this species from poaching and habitat loss.
The nine-month-old storks, a male and a female, were fitted with GPS trackers before their release into the Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary, a protected area managed by the Rising Phoenix conservation group.
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Jack Willis from the Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB) said the site is ideal, as it still hosts wild Greater Adjutants, offering the released birds a chance to integrate with a natural colony.
Once listed as endangered, the Greater Adjutant Stork is now classified as “Near Threatened” due to decades of conservation efforts that have helped stabilize its global population, estimated at around 1,500 mature birds.
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Willis cautioned that the species’ survival remains fragile, noting that even a single major event could drastically reduce Cambodia’s population, making captive breeding essential to prevent extinction.
Although the newly released storks may not immediately join the wild population, survival during the first three to four months is considered a success, helping develop protocols for future stork conservation programs.