Birds from 3D printers support the return of the Northern Bald Ibis
18. July 2024
An important milestone has been reached in the reintroduction of the Northern Bald Ibis: for the first time, the migratory
birds, which were once extinct in Europe, have once again bred independently in a natural rocky niche near Überlingen on Lake
Constance. They were encouraged to do so by two mock-ups of Northern Bald Ibises that were produced by the Natural History
Museum Vienna (NHM) using a 3D printer.
‘Until now, the ibis birds have nested in a nearby
artificial breeding wall. This was a necessary interim step to show the birds, which originally came from zoos, that they
can breed in the region. However, the aim was always for the Northern Bald Ibises to return to their natural breeding grounds.
The last important milestone has now been reached,’ says zoo director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck. The Northern Bald Ibises at
Lake Constance were reintroduced as part of the first EU LIFE project. Schönbrunn Zoo has been leading a second LIFE project
since 2022, which continues the successful protection and reintroduction of these rare birds, which were wiped out in Europe
in the 17th century.
‘We received a 3D scan of a Northern Bald Ibis for the production of the mock-ups. The models were then built up layer by layer using our 3D printer,’ explains Katrin Vohland, Director General of the NHM Vienna. At the end of February, the mock-ups were installed in the rock niche at a height of over twenty metres by the Waldrappteam association together with the Donau-Heuberg mountain rescue service. They have ultimately contributed to the fact that five breeding pairs are currently rearing around a dozen young in the niche. ‘We expect the young Northern Bald Ibises to leave the niche in mid-August. In autumn, they should make the long journey to their wintering grounds in Tuscany together with their parents. In this way, they will learn the migration route and hopefully later contribute to the growth of the wild colony on Lake Constance with their own offspring,’ explains Anne-Gabriela Schmalstieg from the Waldrappteam support organisation. In order to establish a stable population of Northern Bald Ibises in Europe, young birds that have hatched in zoos will be released into the wild this year. At present, 36 young Northern Bald Ibises are being familiarised by their human foster mothers with an ultralight aircraft, which will be used to show the birds the way to a wintering area in Andalusia.
Information on the project:
EU project number: LIFE20 NAT/AT/000049 | Acronym: LIFE NBI
Duration: 2022 to 2028
Website: www.waldrapp.eu
Query note:
E-mail: presse@zoovienna.at
Tel: +43 1 8779294 - 640 Caroline Reinwald
‘We received a 3D scan of a Northern Bald Ibis for the production of the mock-ups. The models were then built up layer by layer using our 3D printer,’ explains Katrin Vohland, Director General of the NHM Vienna. At the end of February, the mock-ups were installed in the rock niche at a height of over twenty metres by the Waldrappteam association together with the Donau-Heuberg mountain rescue service. They have ultimately contributed to the fact that five breeding pairs are currently rearing around a dozen young in the niche. ‘We expect the young Northern Bald Ibises to leave the niche in mid-August. In autumn, they should make the long journey to their wintering grounds in Tuscany together with their parents. In this way, they will learn the migration route and hopefully later contribute to the growth of the wild colony on Lake Constance with their own offspring,’ explains Anne-Gabriela Schmalstieg from the Waldrappteam support organisation. In order to establish a stable population of Northern Bald Ibises in Europe, young birds that have hatched in zoos will be released into the wild this year. At present, 36 young Northern Bald Ibises are being familiarised by their human foster mothers with an ultralight aircraft, which will be used to show the birds the way to a wintering area in Andalusia.
Information on the project:
EU project number: LIFE20 NAT/AT/000049 | Acronym: LIFE NBI
Duration: 2022 to 2028
Website: www.waldrapp.eu
Query note:
E-mail: presse@zoovienna.at
Tel: +43 1 8779294 - 640 Caroline Reinwald
Northern bald ibis in rocky niche near Überlingen
© Dennis Pfleghaar
Zoo Director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck and Katrin Vohland, Director General
of the NHM Vienna, with Waldrapp dummies at Schönbrunn Zoo
© Daniel Zupanc
Northern bald ibis dummies in rock niche near Überlingen
© Dennis Pfleghaar
