20 Edwards’s pheasants return to Vietnam from Germany in landmark conservation effort

Philine Hachmeister, head of communications at Berlin Zoological Garden, on Tuesday confirmed the information via email, describing the transfer as a major international collaboration to return the Edwards’s pheasant to its natural habitat.

According to an official press release, this marks the first effort to support the species’ return to the wild that once served as its home in central Vietnam.

Each individual bird was carefully selected based on genetic diversity, health condition, and behavioral characteristics to help establish the strongest possible future population.

The transfer represents an important milestone, though conservationists emphasize it is only the beginning of a long and carefully managed multi-phase process.

The 20 Edwards's pheasants are being transported by air in specially designed crates that ensure safety, ventilation, and minimal stress during the journey.

Experienced experts are supervising the entire transportation process to maintain optimal conditions at every stage.

Upon arrival in Vietnam, the birds will undergo an adaptation and quarantine period. The immediate goal is not directly releasing the Edwards's pheasants into the wild, but stabilization – helping them adapt to the local climate, form breeding pairs, and produce a new generation bred in Vietnam.

At the same time, conservation areas in central Vietnam are being prepared to receive the birds, including Phong Dien Nature Reserve in Hue City and Dong Chau–Khe Nuoc Trong Nature Reserve in Quang Tri Province.

An international alliance of conservation organizations, zoos, and Vietnamese partners has united around a shared goal: returning the Edwards’s pheasants to the forests where they once lived.

Through international cooperation, zoos have worked to preserve the species under human care while preparing for the possibility of reintroduction into the wild.

“This project is extremely important to us. It is the result of decades of international collaboration, and now we have the opportunity to take the next step in returning the species to the natural environment where it belongs,” said Andreas Knieriem, director of Zoo and Tierpark Berlin.

“Thanks to long-term controlled breeding and genetic management, we have been able to establish a healthy and viable bird population. Contributing individuals to this reintroduction project is a major milestone and a significant step toward restoring the species in the wild,” said Veronika Zahradníčková of Prague Zoo.

“Very few species are given a second chance like this. Edwards's pheasant is a remarkable example of how international cooperation can create opportunities for recovery, even under the most difficult circumstances,” said Jo Gregson, chair of the World Pheasant Association.

In the early 20th century, a small number of Edwards’s pheasants were taken from Vietnam to Europe. Over the decades, coordinated breeding programs and international cooperation have helped grow and maintain a genetically diverse captive population.

The Edwards’s pheasant is a pheasant species endemic to central Vietnam and is currently classified as critically endangered, possibly extinct in the wild on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.

Historically, the species ranged from Ha Tinh Province to Hue. The last confirmed sighting in the wild was recorded in 2000.