Instagram – Aug 16, 2020 @ 16:38
We don’t often post about birds, but these majestic shoebill storks deserve a special mention. They are certainly strange looking creatures, and absolutely unmistakable thanks to their unique ‘shoe-shaped’ bill that’s almost prehistoric in appearance.
They are, however, listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and are under threat from habitat destruction and degradation, pollution, nest disturbance, hunting, and capture for the live bird trade.
Read on to find out what our partners @africanparksnetwork are doing to protect them…
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Bangweulu Wetlands in northeast Zambia is home to this prehistoric-looking shoebill stork. These Wetlands are the southernmost extent of their range which reaches as far north as central Ethiopia. However, given their specific habitat requirements, their actual range is much patchier than this spread suggests, and fewer than 5,000 adults are estimated to exist across Africa. The team in Bangweulu has developed a Shoebill Nest Protection Plan to provide chicks with a higher chance of survival in order to increase their population here. In 2019, eight Shoebill Guard volunteers from the community monitored four nests from which chicks safely fledged, and two live chicks were rescued from the illegal wildlife trade, rehabilitated, and released back into the wild.
In partnership with the Zambian DNPW and six Community Resource Boards, we have been managing this important site since 2008 to secure biodiversity for the benefit of the 50,000 people who depend on this wild landscape.
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If you would like to support African Parks, please consider purchasing a limited edition print from our @printsforwildlife campaign which runs until 26 August. Available for this limited time only, each print costs 100 USD and all proceeds (after printing & handling) come to African Parks so we can continue our work and have more impacts like these. Click the link in our bio to see the prints for sale to benefit conservation.
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: @mikedexterphotography
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#shoebill #bangweulu #bangweuluwetlands #zambia #communityconservation