Saving the White-bellied Heron from Extinction!

Once soaring freely across South Asia, the White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis), one of the rarest birds in the world, now finds itself on the edge of extinction. With less than 60 individuals left in the wild, spread across Bhutan, Myanmar, and India, this majestic bird is on the brink of extinction. This bird has already disappeared from Nepal and Bangladesh.

But there’s still hope. In Bhutan, WBH is home to more than 50% of the global population and their existence hangs on by a thread, with only 3-4 nests found. For two decades, the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN), Bhutan's oldest environmental NGO, has been at the forefront to save the White-bellied Herons. Our work has been challenging, as the herons suffer from low genetic diversity and the breeding pairs are confined to restricted geographic areas, making breeding even harder.

The future of herons lies in a bold conservation effort: the creation of a captive breeding program. With the unwavering support of our generous donors and partners, we have built a WBH breeding center- White-bellied Heron Conservation Center on 18.2 acres of land in South-Central Bhutan. The goal is to establish 16 founder breeding population by 2028, which the sapling juvenile heron will later be released into the wild as part of a population restoration program.

However, time is running out. Research modelling shows that the WBH could be extinct by 2050 if left to thrive on its own in the wild. The immediate solution is to create a healthy, sustainable captive population that can be nurtured and eventually reintroduced to the wild.

At the breeding center, 5 herons (including 3 adults and 2 juveniles) are currently nurtured and these herons are either raised from chicks taken from the nest or from eggs that are artificially incubated. The Herons primarily feed on fresh fish and each heron consumes an average of 450-500 grams of fish daily. In total, the 5 herons consume around 3 kilograms of fish costing approximately $20 per day. With this daily expenditure, the annual cost reaches $15,000 - just for their food, fish feed and fish pond maintenance.

As the number of herons at the breeding center grows, so will the costs. To ensure the success of this critical conservation effort, we aim to raise $15,000 annually to cover food supplies and maintain a sustainable fish pond for the herons.

Join us in making a difference. Donate today and be part of this urgent mission to save the White-bellied Heron from extinction!.