AKP Phnom Penh, January 02, 2025 --  

The Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB) has successful relocated and conducted health assessments on 12 Critically Endangered, White-shouldered Ibis (Pseudibis davisoni).

Due to the species' vulnerability to capture myopathy (stress-induced mortality), the process was meticulously planned to ensure minimal stress and the safety of the birds, the ACCB said in a news release on Tuesday.

ACCB explained that with the completion of its newly upgraded breeding enclosure, these ibises could return to the facility in time for the breeding season, after a temporary stay in another aviary.

Currently, it is estimated that up to 95 percent of the global White-shouldered Ibis population resides in Cambodia, with fewer than 1,000 individuals remaining worldwide. The conservation breeding programme at ACCB plays a vital role in safeguarding the species’ future.

In March 2023, ACCB celebrated a significant milestone—successfully breeding white-shouldered ibises under human care for the first time. Over two years, six offspring have been raised at the ACCB’s assurance colony, established in 2017 to rescue, rehabilitate, and breed this remarkable bird.

ACCB expressed its gratitude to IUCN SSC Asian Species Action Partnership (ASAP), Welttierschutzgesellschaft - WTG e.V., Zoologische Gessellschaft fur Arten-und Populationsschutz e.V. ZGAP, and the members of the Cambodia Ibis Working Group for their unwavering support, stressing that their contributions make it possible to continue this crucial conservation work, helping to protect this iconic species for future generations.

Giant Ibis is a critically endangered bird species declared Cambodia's national bird, and conservation efforts are crucial to its protection.

(Photo: ACCB)

By Phal Sophanith