Abstract
Editor's Note: The following article is an example of the cooperation between two facilities which benefits a very rare species in both captivity and in the wild. The placement of a single bird (as in this case, the Spix's Macaw) into a breeding situation in hopes of enhancing the species' long term survival must be commended. We congratulate Vogelpark Walsrode and its director, Mr. Wolf W Brehm, for their foresight and unselfish work in this project.
Situated between Hannover and Hamburg, Walsrode is a small town in northern Germany. This town is also well known to bird lovers and ornithologists as having the world's largest birdpark.
About 900 species of birds and approximately 5,000 specimens live in Vogelpark Walsrode in aviaries, open pens, sheltered houses and walk-through aviaries. The park is open during summer (from March to November) and is visited by more than a million visitors per year.
It's about a three mile walk to tour the length of the park's unique landscaping, which includes a collection of more than 3,000 rhododendrons and azaleas. The park began as a private collection of waterfowl and pheasants about 30 years ago and is still in private hands.
For breeding purposes and for scientific research, Walsrode also runs two breeding centers, one in the Caribbean for parrots and the other on Mallorca (an island in the Mediterranean) for subtropical and tropical birds.
Concerning conservation projects for endangered and threatened birds, the Brehm Fund for International Bird Conservation (initiated by Vogelpark' s director, Mr. Wolf W. Brehm) has now been active for more than ten years. This fund concentrates on several endangered species of birds around the world, including the Nippon Ibis (Nipponia nippon) which is the fund's symbol, Eastern Sarus Crane (Grus antigone sbarpii), Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), Eastern White Stork (Ciconia boyciana), Pink Pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri) and many more.
Every year, several groups of scientists come to Walsrode for intensive training projects. These include the keeping, breeding and handraising of many delicate and endangered birds. In addition to the several world's-first breedings done at Walsrode, there is also a large number of birds being successfully raised at the other breeding stations already mentioned. These breeding stations, however, are not open to the public.
Close cooperation exists between other governments and Walsrode concerning several important breeding programs.
For the first time outside of China, the Eastern White Storks were bred in Walsrode. This program was achieved with the aid of the Russian government. The earlier mentioned Pink Pigeons were given to Walsrode by the government of Mauritius and can be seen by visitors to the park. The Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) was bred at Walsrode in 1990, the first time in any western country. This crane is one of the 19 species of cranes now living in the Vogelpark.
A bird-cage museum inside the park shows an incredible variety of cages from four centuries. This unique collection is shown in an old, renovated farm house dating back to 1717.
For those who want to visit the park, it is best if you can stay for several days. It takes this long to really see everything in the world's largest bird park.