African shoebill chicks how to#

Kapotwe was not afraid of humans, would approach fishermen when they were emptying their fishing nets and would snatch fish from their boats. The locals first enjoyed her presence, even fed her some fish, but soon got concerned. One day she decided to fly away and ended in Fibili fishing camp, about 700 meters from Chikuni. After a few days she chased away all the fishermen from the plain and she needed an alternative fishing method. Kapotwe emptying the fish nets set by the local fishermen on the flooded plain. Once she had chased away all the fishermen from the plain, she needed to look for alternatives. At a certain point she found an easier way to catch fish she ate the fish that were caught in the fishing nets that were set on the flooded plain. She was quite awkward in her movements, but did manage to catch a fish every now and then, albeit mainly small ones. Tourists cameras were attacked as if they were fish and one night the shoebill researcher had troubles drinking a glass of whisky in front of the house, as Kapotwe showed an interest in the glass as well. The problem was that whenever the researchers or ZAWA (Zambia Wildlife Authority) scouts would be outside, or whenever people would arrive at Chikuni, she would approach them and start begging for food. She was losing weight and often had to be given some extra fish. Kapotwe tried to fish in the pond in front of the research station and on the flooded plain, but she was not very successful. She was still quite habituated to humans. During the day she spent her time around the research station, but she would always return to her enclosure at night. Once she was fully grown, we opted for the ‘soft release’ option the door of the enclosure was opened and she could wander around freely and return to the enclosure at night if she wanted to. She was quite the clumsy hunter, either knocking herself out by striking into shallow waters or realising too late that she was in too deep waters and could go no further.

African shoebill chicks how to#

Even without any parent to show her how to catch fish, her instincts told her what to do and slowly she learned the technique of catching catfish. Initially she was not very successful, and every now and then she had to rely on her caretakers for some extra fish.

She grew into a big chick and when she was old enough to walk around, a pond was dug in the enclosure, into which live catfish were released in order for Kapotwe to start developing her hunting skills.

Read more about the Shoebill Conservation Programme.Īt Chikuni we built a suitable shoebill enclosure and from then onwards Kapotwe was hand-reared by the researchers and their assistants. She was found by the shoebill research team and taken to Chikuni, the research station. Kapotwe was found in a fishing hut at a very young age, kept there to show to tourists or to become part of the illegal trade in shoebill chicks. These wetlands give rise to the southernmost breeding population for this enigmatic bird with its prehistoric looks. Kapotwe hatched close to Gibson village in August 2011, a fishing camp in the Bangweulu Wetlands of Zambia. She would need up to 5-6 fish a day just before she fledged, which were bought from the local fishermen. Kapotwe as a young chick, about 5 to 6 weeks old, in the enclosure at Chikuni. Here we will inform you about how Kapotwe became famous and why she is an important ambassador for all her fellow shoebills.

Kapotwe - Cover star of African Geographic and featured in several news articles around the world must be the most famous shoebill.