Did you know that these remarkable, endangered birds can survive for up to 70 years, and that their deep calls (as captured in the video below) can resonate across the bush for kilometres?
Hoedspruit, South Africa (16 February 2026) – Recently, Gumpy, a long-term resident at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (HESC), got a new upgrade to his wooden home. His vocal approval of the new and improved digs was too cool not to share!
“Last week we posted photos of Gumpy’s platform being replaced. This video was taken on the same day and hopefully shows Gumpy vocalising approval of his home makeover,” shared the Wildlife Conservation Trust, the official fundraising partner for the HESC in South Africa.
The Southern Ground Hornbill is a very special species of high conservation concern. They are classified as Vulnerable globally by the IUCN but in South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Namibia, they’re listed as Endangered.
Gumpy’s story started with the Mabula Ground Hornbill Project (MGHP).
MGHP works to protect and grow populations of the endangered species through research, monitoring, chick-rearing and reintroductions into areas where the birds have declined.
Habitat loss, secondary poisoning and human persecution are all major threats to the species. Beyond those threats, these ‘thunder birds’ or ‘rain birds’ as they are often called have very long reproductive cycles, which further impacts population numbers.
Southern Ground Hornbills have a remarkable lifespan of about 50-60 years, and up to 70 in captivity. They only reach sexual maturity at around five to six years, and start breeding at 10. Breeding pairs generally welcome two eggs every five to six years, but only one survives.
The eggs are laid three to five days apart, and by the time the second egg hatches its older sibling will outcompete the latecomer for food, and consequently only one chick is raised past the first couple of weeks.
This is where the MGHP comes in. By removing the second chick, which would almost certainly die from starvation in the wild, the organisation essentially gives it a second chance at life.
The parents continue raising their dominant chick naturally, while the MGHP rears the rescue for later release into carefully selected territories, effectively doubling the breeding success of a species that reproduces incredibly slowly and helping rebuild populations where numbers have declined.
Gumpy was a secondary egg and he was hand-raised, which means that he cannot be released into the wild as he would not know how to fend for himself.
Thankfully, he has an incredible team of carers who look after him well – including regularly upgrading his digs and feeding him his favourite chicken necks!
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