Endangered bald ibis chicks to enter the Spanish wild

FOUR bald ibis chicks have been dispatched to Jerez in an attempt to reintroduce the species which is on the verge of extinction. The birds have vanished from the wild in Europe in recent years following targeting by hunters and loss of their natural habitat.

Chester Zoo in the UK has been cultivating the birds since 1986 and the four chicks come from its 28 strong collection of northern bald ibises.

The conservationists are aiming to bolster the 500 ibis birds now in the wild, most of which can be found in Morocco. In Syria a small population of the birds is under threat from IS militants.

In Jerez Zoo the chicks will join other bald ibis birds from around Europe for an introduction period before being set free towards the end of November. Numbers of the birds have already begun to slowly grow as a result of the international conservation effort which the Chester chicks are joining.

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