Zoological Park Organization: Over 70 rare birds freed

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Zoological Park Organization: Over 70 rare birds freed

BANGKOK, 25 February 2016 (NNT) – The Zoological Park Organization Under the Royal Patronage of HM the King and Korat Zoo are jointly expanding their bird conservation campaign to local communities, following the successful breeding of birds that once vanished from the country.

Director of the Zoological Park Organization Benjapol Nakprasert revealed that since 2011, the project had led to the release of 72 captive-bred sarus cranes into the wetlands in Buriram province. Sarus cranes were previously listed as extinct in Thailand.

As a result of this success, the Global Environment Facility under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) granted a support fund of 25.6 million baht for use in the bird conservation program from 2015 to 2019.

The Zoological Park Organization and Korat Zoo plan to release 10 - 15 sarus cranes each year to repopulate their natural habitats. The campaign will also be promoted in different communities to foster the survival of sarus cranes.


-- NNT 2016-02-25

[isanbirder]

I heard about the first release a few months ago, but have yet to see any in my area (Buriram Province).. Maybe if the 'wet season' actually gives us some rain this year.....

[xen]

i hope birds bred in the zoo can survive the rigours of natural life , plus the don't end up on a dinner plate either . Here is hoping they survive and theyhave a plan B with more breed birds to have ananother release.

Edited February 25, 2016 by xen

[Muhendis]

I had a few weeks of these magnificent birds feeding on my farm but they didn't set up home. Their preferred habitat is far wetter than my farm.

[Toknarok]

Lovely looking bird https://www.google.co.th/?gws_rd=cr&ei=ZoPLUoPxAaXZigf2xYDIDA#q=picture+of+sarus

[Skeptic7]

Hopefully this captive breed and release is successful. Would love to see a one soar over and up my BKK yard list by one more. Yard list total currently stands at 39 species!

Great work and good news for a change!

[AjarnNorth]

Hopefully this captive breed and release is successful. Would love to see a one soar over and up my BKK yard list by one more. Yard list total currently stands at 39 species!

Great work and good news for a change!

Should start a yard list thread. I lived four years on a wetlands in Surin and had a telescope! Never put a yard list together but could. I now live in Bangsaen, Chonburi. I go out around the area birding often, yet nearly all of the interesting sightings I have had here have come from my yard!

On the cranes, it will be interesting. Surely Bang Phra Reservoir (Chonburi) must be on the list of possible locations to free them. I have seen Lesser Adjutant and Black-headed Ibis there as well as lots of SB Peilican, but probably many of them are escvapes from the local zoo (Khao Khieo) or the local "breeding center."

The breeding center is strange since half the birds in there are not even Thai birds. Not at all clear to me why they would be breeding these species unless it's to make money???

[Muhendis]

The breeding centre for these birds is the Huai Talat reservoir just to the south of Buriram. The birds were indigenous to Thailand but loss of natural habitat made them look elsewhere. The reintroduction program is run by Mahidol University in Bangkok. The Sarus crane is the largest flying bird in the world standing at up to 2 metres tall. If I could figure out how to I'd post some pictures of them striding around my farm.

[Briggsy]

They were present at the Sanaam Bin Nam site near Phrakhon Chai district 3 or 4 years ago, both in enclosures and flying free.

They were also in enclosures at Bang Phra Reservoir in Chonburi around the same time but then were removed. Bang Phra has a lot of bird enclosures.

Shooting tends to be a problem.

Edited February 28, 2016 by Briggsy