Help save the White-bellied Heron from Extinction!

Please help us save the White-bellied Heron from

Extinction!

White-bellied Heron is on the brink of extinction and urgently needs our

support.

White-bellied Heron (WBH) is the rarest and the most critically endangered heron in

the world. There are fewer than 60 of them left in the world with less than five known

breeding pairs. Bhutan is home to 45% of the global population and 90% of known

breeding birds.

While we are protecting the wild population and restoring their habitats, we fear that

the extremely small population might disappear at any time before we could fully

understand them. We are not very far from losing them forever.

To rescue, on the recommendation of IUCN-SSC, we have established the WBH

Conservation Center in Bhutan. In 2021, the first batch of ex-situ captive population

was established by collecting nestlings from a wild nest. The collection of selective

birds from the wild will continue until the genetic diversity of the population is expressed in several breeding pairs as it is the only source of founders for the

species.

The purpose of the WBH Conservation Center is to secure an ex-situ gene pool;

rear, raise and breed herons, and supplement the wild population by releasing them

into safer habitats. It will also serve as the centre for WBH research, a global

information hub and coordinate WBH conservation work in the region.

To ensure the highest possible genetic diversity, the experts recommend raising at

least 50 birds in the centre. To accommodate 50 birds, we need at least 10

enclosures. Currently, we just have two enclosures, and we urgently need more. The

lack of funds to build additional enclosures and other critical facilities is severely

impacting our progress and we are running out of time to save the last remaining

herons.

We urgently need US$ 250,000.0 by December 2022 to build new enclosures and

advance our species recovery plan.

Please support us. Every single dollar you donate will help us upscale our

efforts and save White-bellied Heron from Extinction!