Eight North African ostriches have returned to the wild in Niger after the species disappeared from the area. African ostriches are not rare overall, but the North African subspecies is on the brink of extinction. And in the Gadabedji reserve, these birds had not been seen for 71 years.
Five females and three males became the first stage of population restoration. To appreciate the scale, one comparison is enough: in Chad’s Ennedi reserve, there were only 53 birds by 2023 after the successfully breeding restored group. Against that background, eight birds in Gadabedji are a truly serious start.
Their return was preceded by years of captive breeding, veterinary work and efforts to preserve genetic diversity. Now the main challenge is for the birds to settle in, survive and begin breeding.
