White Storks Soar: Record Chicks Hatched for UK Rewilding

Cotswold Wildlife Park has announced a record-breaking breeding season, successfully hatching and rearing 49 white stork chicks. These birds are integral to the White Stork Project, a significant rewilding initiative aiming to establish at least 50 breeding pairs across southern England by the year 2030. This year's achievement marks a substantial contribution to the project, which has bred 280 white storks since its inception.

The return of the white stork to Britain is a remarkable conservation success story. Historically, the last known breeding pair was recorded in 1416, with factors such as habitat loss and over-hunting contributing to their disappearance. The project, a collaboration involving Cotswold Wildlife Park, the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, Knepp Castle Estate, and private landowners, began in 2016.

Chicks hatched in May and, after approximately 35 days, were meticulously cared for by keepers who provided supplemental feeding alongside the adult parents. Within two months, the young birds fledged the nest. Following a two-week settling period, they were transferred to Knepp Castle in Sussex for release into the wild.

To enhance monitoring efforts, the released birds will be fitted with satellite trackers or electronic tags. This technology will provide critical data on their movements, survival rates, and behaviour post-release. Notably, two storks bred at the park have already migrated, returned, and attempted to breed, demonstrating the project's effectiveness in restoring this iconic species to the British landscape.