Rescued rare birds find new home in Cambodia

China Eco Tales

With the help of KFBG, our partner in Cambodia has recently transferred four rescued, globally threatened waterbirds known as the Asian Woollyneck (Ciconia episcopus) to the country’s largest wildlife sanctuary Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre (PTWRC).

Listed as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List, the species was once widespread across wetlands in South Asia and Southeast Asia but today it is suffering a rapid decline in numbers due to hunting and habitat loss.

The four birds were captured when they were just chicks by local villagers last summer, and later rescued and taken care of by our partner. Now at one-year-old, the four hand-reared birds were too tame and lack the necessary survival skills to return to the wild. Thus, we are glad to find them a new home at the well-established PTWRC. Under professional care and training, it is possible that these birds can be set free one day.

Since 2017, KFBG has been working with an Economic Land Concession in Kratie Province, Cambodia to conduct biodiversity conservation projects. With our scientific advice, we hope to develop a model for sustainable agriculture development.

Find out more about our work in Cambodia:
https://www.kfbg.org/en/conservation-by-site/cambodia-dry-forest