Researchers release rare birds

Conservationists have for the first time released two captive-bred Greater Adjutant Stork chicks into the wild as part of an ongoing programme to revive a species under threat from poaching and habitat loss.

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The nine-month-old storks — a male and a female — were fitted with GPS trackers before their release into the Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary, a protected area overseen by Cambodia's Rising Phoenix conservation group.

“This place is perfect because there are still wild Greater Adjutants in the area,” said Jack Willis, who leads research at the Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB). “We're hoping by releasing them here that they could perhaps join a colony, but also this area is very well protected by Rising Phoenix and the Ministry of Environment.”