Shoebill Conservation strategies
Even in the face of some tough hurdles, several conservation initiatives are underway to protect the shoebill population and their habitats. These efforts are particularly critical as the shoebill has been classified as 'Vulnerable' by the IUCN Red List. Multiple national parks and wetland reserves have been built to shelter these shoebill storks.
Shoebill Nest protection programme (2012)
Through this program, community members take up the role as guardians to protect the Bangweulu shoebills around the clock, especially during their peak nesting season, which goes down from June and November.
The aim of Shoebill Nest Protection Program is to protect the Bangweulu Wetlands Game Management Area’s threatened Shoebills.
Shoebill habitat covers 3,000km² of wetland, hence shoebill nests are often very far away and hard to reach. As a resolve, African Parks' community members have to canoe to reach the shoebill's nests at 8 hours away (Figure 1).
Figure 1 (Image credit to Darwin Chambers)
Once they reach the shoebill's nest, African Parks place the Shoebill eggs inside an incubator to keep them viable on the long trip home (Figure 2)
Figure 2 (Image credit to Darwin Chambers)
African Parks had successfully harvested two eggs from separate nests. Currently, African parks has six healthy chicks that are now being prepared for their release back into the wild in 2024 (Figure 3 ).
Figure 3 (Image credit to Darwin Chambers)
Captive rearing
Due to shoebills' siblicide nature, the older chick often outcompetes its younger sibling for food. To enhance the survival odds of shoebill chicks, the second egg from known wetland nests is removed, hatched, and raised in a rearing and rehabilitation facility until adolescence.
Some of the national parks involved in shoebill captive rearing include:
Pairi Daiza
The first park in the world to have succeeded in hatching two chicks: Abou and Marqoub, in the year 2008.
Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo
First North America wildlife institution to hatch African Shoebill Stork chick, and just the second institution worldwide.
The Shoebill Stork chick was named Binti, meaning “daughter” in Swahili
African Parks
designed facility to rear shoebill chicks in captivity to increase breeding success in the Game Management Areas.
In collaboration with African Wildlife Conservation Foundation and Ashia Cheetah Conservation, the Shoebill Captive Rearing and Rehabilitation Facility was established in the heart of Bangweulu Wetlands in May 2022.
The facility has been installed with incubators and brooders to care for shoebill chicks at every stage of their development.
