Shoebill storks in the UK

kiang

kiang

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Can anyone provide any information regarding shoebills that have been kept in the UK.
I know that 2 zoos have kept them in the past, London and Edinburgh, i think Bristol may have kept one or two in the past (unconfirmed).
Do we see a collection in the future, bringing in my favourite bird species, Marwell mentioned them in a masterplan from a few years back, unlikely, but who knows?
 
kiang said:
Can anyone provide any information regarding shoebills that have been kept in the UK.
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London Zoo received two shoebills in 1860; these were probably the first living shoebills in Europe.

London Zoo’s last shoebill died in 1950.
 
The species would fit in with Blackbrook's remit, but I wouldn't have thought they'd enjoy its climate. Somewhere close to the lake at Paignton, or near the canal at Chester, might provide suitable accommodation.

I'd be surprised to see it happening though.
 
When i first started reading this thread i was convinced i'd seen one in the last year or so. The thought just occurred to me it might have been at Tring.

I'll get my coat.
:o
 
These birds are awesome. I thought they were something made up from the Legend of Zelda games. Loftwings are real! :p
 
I had a post moved to the Switzerland section of Zoochat when I wrote a while back about just this question re. my third visit to Zurich zoo......why do we have no shoebills in UK? They have bred at some US zoos (Metropark & Cincinnati?) but Paignton, Blackbrook and Chester would be obvious sites although they do need warm quarters for much of the year. They are so striking and they gain admirers from all backgrounds. Shoebills are not doing so well in the wild and are in need of a good European effort to breed (and learn about) them.
 
TriGB said:
They have bred at some US zoos (Metropark & Cincinnati?)
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haven't they only been bred at two zoos worldwide, Parc Paradiso and Lowry Park? Or have there been more successful zoos since 2010?
 
Chlidonias said:
haven't they only been bred at two zoos worldwide, Parc Paradiso and Lowry Park? Or have there been more successful zoos since 2010?
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I think they have only bred once at those two places, and furthermore the breeding male at Pairi Daiza (Parc Paradiso) died. Total numbers in captivity are low so unless there are more imports from the wild it's unlikely any new zoos will be getting them in the forseeable future.
 
Get used to it.;) I agree with others on here that they are very unlikely to be seen in the UK again.
 
Having examined all Bristols archives when i wrote "An Illustrated History of Bristol Zoo Gardens"i can say that Bristol never had a Shoebill.They were always very expensive, which probably accounts for the fact that Mottershead,Len Hill,even Regents Park, did not buy them through the 60s and 70s when they did crop up on dealers lists.In fact if you are prepared to pay you can still obtain this taxon from a sustainable source.Can the U.S.zoochatters confirm american breedings? I was under the impression that the Belgian breeding was a world first.
 
yes Parc Paradiso was first (2008), Lowry Park a couple of years later (Jan 2010). I'm not aware of any others that have managed it.
 
Re the Edinburgh shoebill:-

In his book “The Story of Edinburgh Zoo” (1964) T. H. Gillespie, the first director, writes that a shoebill was received in 1945 from the Governor of the Sudan.

According to this book it “arrived in poor condition and never recovered health”.
 
Pygathrix said:
Parc paradiso bred them first in July 2008.
Lowry Park December 2009.
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I think the Lowry Park one hatched in Jan 2010 though, which is the date I was going with.
 
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