Flicking through Fb and came across this photo, guess what caught my eye.............
KOBE ANIMAL KINGDOM | Japan tourist destination
KOBE ANIMAL KINGDOM | Japan tourist destination
However, it was not easy to turn his dream of a zoo without cages or fences into reality. Staff trained the animals daily so that they would get used to being around humans and not feel too stressed or aggressive.
They had an especially difficult time training a shoebill stork -- a large gray bird that is an endangered species. When surrounded by a crowd, the stork can panic and attack.
The bird was put in a special shed and trained for a long time, step by step, until it was accustomed to humans.
At first, the windows were covered with leaves, and the bird was only able to see humans through the gaps. The leaves were gradually removed until finally, there were almost no barriers between it and humans.
The caretakers gave the bird constant attention for about 3 months to get it used to contact with humans. Thanks to their efforts, people can now approach it.