The Ibis

A symbol of knowledge and religion in the land of the pharaohs, the sacred ibis arrived in France in zoos at the end of the 1980s. Branféré (Morbihan). “The park was performing free flight shows with the sacred ibis. During the performances, some took the opportunity to leave the park, ”says Jean-François Maillard, responsible for coordinating actions on invasive species at the National Office for Hunting and Wildlife (ONCFS).

Able to adapt to any environment, the bird has spread exponentially. “It’s an exotic bird that man went to find in Egypt on the banks of the Nile, explains Guy Bourlès, president of la ligue de protection des oiseaux de Loire-Atlantique (LPO). We have gone from 20 sacred ibis in 1990 to 5,000 since 2000 in France. Like the nutria, it quickly adapted to European living conditions. In the fields, they ate seeds. In the water, they ate the fish. They even did the trash! »

Faced with its proliferation, the Ministry of Ecology mandated the eradication of the species in 2013 with the
ONCFS of Loire-Atlantique. “The sacred ibis was becoming a danger to other endangered species like terns. They gobbled a lot of eggs from other birds, says Jean-François Maillard. For this request, commissioned and sworn professionals shot the bird with a shotgun. The eradication campaign has made it possible to go from 5,000 sacred ibis in 2006 to 300 today. »

In France, it shocks people but the existence of this species has not been well managed. The reaction was too late. The decision to reduce the population became a necessity to preserve local biodiversity in environments particularly impacted by the presence of the Ibis.