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COMM: This scientist has been offering flying
lessons to a flock of Northern Bald Ibis for the last decade.
COMM: Dr. Johannes Fritz has been using his
microlight aircraft to teach the birds their migratory routes between their summer and
winter feeding grounds between Tuscany and the Austrian and German Alps.
COMM: By making sure he's the first thing
the newly hatched chicks see, Dr. Fritz is able to form a close bond with the birds.
COMM: The biologist was amazed to discover
that despite being born in captivity, the Ibis still adopted the aerodynamic 'V' shape
flying formation, which he believes is hard wired into their DNA.
COMM: The critically endangered birds were
wiped out in Europe from over hunting, but the reintroduction program is looking to establish
a self-sustaining migratory population on the continent.