White Stork Project Breeds Record 48 Chicks for UK Reintroduction

The White Stork Project, involving Cotswold Wildlife Park and partners such as the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Knepp Castle Estate, is working to re-establish white storks as a breeding species in southern England by 2030. White storks disappeared from the UK as a breeding species in the 1400s due to habitat loss, over-hunting, and persecution. Since 2016, the park has bred over 200 storks, rearing a record 48 chicks in its most successful season to date, with many birds transferred to Sussex for release. These birds, originally imported from Warsaw Zoo, are rehabilitated injured wild birds unable to survive in the wild if released immediately. The released storks have followed traditional migration routes to Africa, and the project hopes the first storks bred at Cotswold will return to breed in England after maturing at four years old. The project requires dedicated care, including nest building and monitoring, to ensure successful breeding and chick rearing.