Korea, Mongolia partner to bring back endangered bird after 5-decade absence
In 1968, amid the rapid industrialization of Korea, a quiet tragedy unfolded in a small river village in North Gyeongsang Province. The last known breeding pair of black storks in Korea vanished, driven out by habitat destruction and human encroachment. For nearly six decades, the majestic bird — a towering creature with iridescent black plumage, a stark white belly and a crimson beak — has…
In 1968, the black stork, a majestic bird with iridescent black feathers, a stark white belly, and a crimson beak, disappeared from Korea. This happened due to habitat destruction and human encroachment that occurred during the rapid industrialization of the country. The last known breeding pair of these birds vanished from the small river village in North Gyeongsang Province.
Now, an ambitious international collaboration aims to bring back the lost species to Korea. The National Institute of Ecology, a government research agency under Korea’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, has initiated a joint ecological restoration project with the Wildlife Science and Conservation Center of Mongolia.
This comprehensive five-year agreement, signed in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar, will see wildlife scientists from both countries working together to import healthy wild black storks from Mongolia. The goal is to establish a self-sustaining breeding population of the endangered bird in Korea.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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