A Vietnamese pheasant is born at Pairi Daiza Zoo. — VNA./VNS Photo

BRUSSELS — Two Vietnamese pheasant chicks have been successfully hatched at Belgium’s Pairi Daiza wildlife park, marking a positive development in efforts to conserve one of the world’s rarest and most critically endangered bird species.

The chicks were born at Pairi Daiza’s Oasis greenhouse following a carefully monitored breeding and care programme. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Vietnamese pheasant is classified as Critically Endangered and may already be extinct in the wild.

The successful breeding is regarded as an important contribution to the European Ex-situ Programme (EEP), which aims to preserve the species’ genetic diversity and support future population recovery initiatives.

The development comes amid renewed progress in efforts to conserve the Vietnamese pheasant.

In 2026, around 20 birds from international conservation breeding programmes were returned to Việt Nam as part of a reintroduction project involving a range of conservation organisations and international experts. — VNA/VNS