MNS: Release of captive-bred Milky Storks should be carefully planned

MNS: Release of captive-bred Milky Storks should be carefully planned
12 Mar 2007
Mazlinda Mahmood


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KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) is concerned with the manner in which captive-bred Milky Storks, locally known as burung upeh, were released recently in Kuala Gula, Perak.

MNS president Anthony Sebastian said introducing captive-bred storks into the wild required careful consideration and planning.

"They need a period of acclimatisation to minimise stress and ensure they can fend for themselves. If the release does not follow proper procedure, they most probably won’t survive," he said.

He was commenting on the way Natural Resources and Environment parliamentary secretary Datuk Sazmi Miah released eight captive-bred Milky Storks (Mycteria cinerea) from Zoo Negara at the Kuala Gula Bird Sanctuary to mark the World Wetlands Day recently.



The storks are on the verge of extinction and are listed as the most endangered bird species in the country.

He said the World Conservation Union has released a set of guidelines in 1995 to counter the risk of releasing captive-bred birds into the wild, which has been adhered to by MNS in the case of the existing captive-breeding programme at the Kuala Selangor Nature Park.

The programme was jointly set up by MNS, Zoo Negara and Wildlife and Natural Parks Department (Perhilitan) in the 1990s where eight birds were reintroduced and are still surviving today.

"We have eight birds living in the wild here and eventually we hope they will breed, and that is a great success for our park," he added.

The global population of Milky Storks is currently estimated to be fewer than 5,000. They can only be found in three countries — Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia.

Since the 1980s, the Milky Stork population in Malaysia has dwindled from around 200 to fewer than 10 in the wild today.