Storm's storks in captivity

vogelcommando

vogelcommando

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
Storm's storks are endangered in the wild and very rare in captivity. In 1988 I was so lucky to "discover" the first specimens ( 2 young males ) ever kept outside their natural distribution. Birdpark Walsrode had obtained 2 storks as being Woolly-necked storks and when they arrived at the park I directly saw this were not Woolly-necked but Storm's storks. Untill mid-1989 I took care for these birds and then left for a job at another zoo.
Now I made a small - and almost surtainly incomplete - list of zoos which have kept this species and I hope other ZooChatters can give additional information about the current status.
Europe :
It seem easy to find out which zoos have kept Storm's storks in Europe because "we" have Zootierliste and here 2 collections are mentioned:
Walsrode - Germany : as mentioned above 2 males arrived in 1988 and lived untill 1991/1992. A new pair was obtained in 2012 and these are still at the park.
Vogelpark Niendorf - Timmendorfer Strand - Germany : Should have kept the species in the 1990-ties.
A third collection - not mentioned by Zootierliste - also kept the species ( personal contact with the director of this zoo ). In 1989 I got a letter from the Vogelpark Schmiding ( now Zoo Schmiding ) in Austria in which he had some questions about the species because they also had obtained 1.

USA :
San Diego Zoo : had the world-first breeding with the species and if I'm informed right they now only have some ( number ? ) males left.
San Diego Safari Park : some of the storks bred at the zoo went to the Safari Park, don't know if it is still kept there.
Bronx Zoo - New York : Species is still kept at the Bronx Zoo ( number, sexes ? )
Zoo Maimi : in 2013 a single male was kept at this zoo, current status ?
Forth Worth Zoo : in 2013 they seemed to have had a pair, current status ?

Asia :
I only know Zoo Negara - Malaysia had 2 ( a pair ) in 2013, current status ?

As you see not much information and I would like to learn more about the history and current status of the species esp. in the USA and in Asia.
 
I saw Storm's Stork at both San Diego Zoo and Safari Park in 2014. Regulars there can give a more up to date answer.
I don't recall them at Zoo Negara earlier this year, but will have to go through my photos to check.
 
Yes, I remember the one you mean Chlidonias, fairly sure I wasn't able to spot much in there, but will double check later.
 
vogelcommando said:
USA :
San Diego Zoo : had the world-first breeding with the species and if I'm informed right they now only have some (number ?) males left.
San Diego Safari Park : some of the storks bred at the zoo went to the Safari Park, don't know if it is still kept there.
Bronx Zoo - New York : Species is still kept at the Bronx Zoo (number, sexes ? )
Zoo Maimi : in 2013 a single male was kept at this zoo, current status ?
Forth Worth Zoo : in 2013 they seemed to have had a pair, current status ?
Click to expand...
Bronx Zoo currently holds 2.0 storks.
San Diego Zoo holds 1.1
SD Safari Park holds 3.2 - the older female came from Zoo Negara in 1995; the younger female hatched at San Diego in 2003 and was on loan to SeaWorld for several years before returning to SD-WAP in 2013.
 
Thank you very much MikeG, exactly the information I'm looking for !
Do you maybe know more about the status of the species at Zoo Miami and Fort Worth ?
 
Fort Worth has a pair, it's probably safe to assume they are 1.1. I don't think they've bred there. They are displayed among a pair of white naped cranes and a few other waterfowl species.
 
I saw the species at Zoo Negara in 2000 - not sure if they've kept them continuously since or not.
 
These birds are very close to my heart as I worked with them in captivity for over 10 years. Naturally aim trying to keep myself updated as far as that is possible.

As far as aim aware Zoo Negara achieved the first captive breeding of this species in the early 1990s and chicks hatched there in June 1992 may very well have been the first. Interestingly enough a pair of these were transferred to San Diego Zoo in late December 1993. Another pair followed in July 1995 (hatched at Zoo Negara in February 1994). As you can see it is quite possible that both pairs were siblings.

The first pair that arrived at San Diego never bred (female died in 1998 and the male in 2010). Second pair successfully bred and laid two different clutches at San Diego Wild Animal Park with the first chick hatching in April 2001 (2.2 hatched from these two clutches). All Storm's Storks in the US and at Walsrode descends from the pair that arrived in 1995 and which pretty much bred on a yearly basis up to 2009 (this pair is still alive as far as aim aware).

In the US the population have never been large and given the lack of breeding in recent years with an aging population I believe this species will sadly be gone from US collections in a couple of years.

I do not have any information about current numbers but in late 2016 there were 13 individuals in the USA.

USA:
San Diego Zoo: 1.1
San Diego Zoo Safari Park: 3.2
Forth Worth Zoo: 1.1
Zoo Maimi: 1.0
Bronx Zoo: 2.0. Recent breeding attempt? Bronx Zoo - Bronx Zoo 2016
Denver Zoo: 1.0

Europe:
Vogelpark Walsrode: 1.1 (both came from San Diego Zoo Safari Park).

Asia:
Zoo Negara: no idea on current numbers, still kept in 2008 as far as aim aware.
 
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