Emily Chan
To prepare them for travel, the birds have to first bond with the humans and build enough trust so that they’re willing to learn from them.
Chicks are removed from their breeding colonies when they are just a few days old and taken to an aviary that is overseen by scientists.
Then, they will teach the birds the migration routes by sitting on the back of a microlight aircraft piloted by Fritz, waving and shouting through a bullhorn as the birds fly. The birds follow the aircraft as it soars over hills and meadows.
The effort was inspired by the naturalist “Father Goose” Bill Lishman. In 1988, he taught Canadian geese to fly alongside his lightweight plane.
Later, he led endangered whooping cranes through safe routes and founded a nonprofit known as “Operation Migration.”
Fritz’s guidance has proved to be successful. In 2011, the first northern bald ibis migrated back to Bavaria, Germany, from Tuscany.
Since then, more birds have flown the approximately 342-mile route each year. By 2028, the team hopes that the Central European population will have more than 350 birds and become self-sustaining.
