[Note: undated footage]

These remarkable videos show experts creating 3D-printed northern bald ibis dummies and placing them in the wild to show the endangered species a safe cliff to nest on resulting in the first wild chicks.

Schoenbrunn Zoo in Vienna, Austria, announced the success of the first breeding of the endangered migratory birds in their natural habitat on the rocky site near Ueberlangen, Baden-Wuerttemberg State, Germany.

And they attributed the achievement largely to the use of several 3D-printed dummies, which were placed in nests alongside the real birds to help them feel more at home.

Footage shared by the zoo depicted technicians from the Natural History Museum Vienna (NHM) crafting the dummies in a specialised lab.

A group of wildlife activists can then be seen descending the rocky area in Germany, and placing the dummies next to the ibises.

Anne-Gabriela Schmalstieg from the Waldrappteam support association highlighted the achievement, noting that five breeding pairs are currently raising about a dozen chicks at the site.

To establish a stable Waldrapp population in Europe, 36 young northern bald ibises raised in zoos will be released this year and guided by a microlight aircraft to a wintering area in Andalusia.

Schoenbrunn Zoo has been leading a second LIFE project to continue the successful protection and reintroduction of these rare birds since 2022.

SHOTLIST:

1. 3D-printed northern bald ibis dummies being placed in a rocky niche near Ueberlingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg State, Germany, to help the species breed in the wild.

2. Northern bald ibis pair who built a nest in the municipality of Ruemlang, Zurich, Switzerland.

3. 32 Northern bald Ibis chicks moved from the Rosegg zoo in Carinthia to the Schonbrunn zoo in April 2022.

Captions: The Zurich Zoo in Switzerland will be releasing three more norther wild ibis individuals into the wild in July.