Two captive-bred nine-month-old Greater Adjutant Stork chicks — a male and a female — were fitted with GPS trackers and released into Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary in Cambodia. The move is the first captive-bred release in the country and aims to test reintroduction methods for a species now classed as Near Threatened. With roughly 1,500 mature birds left worldwide (200–250 in Cambodia), the key measure of success will be whether the chicks survive their first three to four months and begin to learn colony and migratory behaviours.
Cambodia Releases First Captive-Bred Greater Adjutant Chicks in Conservation Breakthrough
Two captive-bred nine-month-old Greater Adjutant Stork chicks — a male and a female — were fitted with GPS trackers and released into Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary in Cambodia. The move is the first captive-bred release in the country and aims to test reintroduction methods for a species now classed as Near Threatened. With roughly 1,500 mature birds left worldwide (200–250 in Cambodia), the key measure of success will be whether the chicks survive their first three to four months and begin to learn colony and migratory behaviours.
11:49 AM, 11/20/2025Environment
Conservationists in Cambodia have released, for the first time, two captive-bred Greater Adjutant Stork chicks into the wild as part of a program to bolster a species threatened by habitat loss and poaching. The nine-month-old pair — a male and a female — were fitted with GPS trackers before being released into Siem Pang Wildlife Sanctuary, a protected area managed locally by Rising Phoenix.
"This place is perfect because there are still wild Greater Adjutants in the area,"
"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,"said Jack Willis, head of research at the Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB).
The Greater Adjutant is notable for its large black wings and long neck. Decades of conservation work have reversed an earlier decline: the species has been downlisted from the IUCN's endangered category to Near Threatened, but its recovery remains fragile. ACCB records estimate roughly 1,500 mature Greater Adjutant Storks survive in the wild worldwide, with about 200–250 in Cambodia and the remainder mostly in northeast India.
ACCB currently cares for three rescued pairs at its Siem Reap conservation centre, but only one pair has successfully produced chicks so far. Many storks rescued from wildlife traffickers missed critical parenting experiences learned in the wild, which can make it harder for captive adults to rear healthy young.
The newly released chicks are not expected to immediately integrate with wild colonies. Greater Adjutants typically travel to breeding grounds such as the Prek Toal sanctuary in late October; that migratory behavior is usually learned from adult colony members. Staff have taken careful steps to acclimatize the birds, and the immediate goal is straightforward: monitor whether the chicks survive their first three to four months in the wild.
Survival through those early months will help conservationists refine release protocols and inform future reintroduction efforts for Greater Adjutants and related species, such as the Lesser Adjutant. The GPS trackers will provide vital data on movement, habitat use and survival that can shape longer-term recovery plans.
By Chantha Lach