Air kindergarten: ornithologists paraglide ibises on vacation to Spain by hand (photo)

Austrian researchers Helena Wehner and Johannes Fritz paraglided 2,600 kilometers, escorting a flock of 36 rare bald ibises from Germany to Andalusia. Because the species was extirpated in Europe 400 years ago, the captive-bred birds lack a migratory instinct and require human navigators to reach their wintering grounds. The scientists risk their safety by training the birds to follow paragliders, while the ibises face threats from power lines. The surviving birds were placed in aviaries in Andalusia, from where they will later be forcibly returned to Germany to reproduce.