1000 Francs Shoebill Stork

The Democratic Republic of Congo has issued a long-running series of wildlife-themed silver coins largely aimed at the collector market rather than circulation — the country's actual monetary system runs on the Congolese franc at denominations nowhere near 1000 in practical use. The shoebill (*Balaeniceps rex*) inhabits the swamps of the upper Nile basin and parts of Central Africa, placing it within the DRC's ecological range, which gives this issue more geographic legitimacy than many similar collector programs from unrelated jurisdictions.

KM#367 was produced for the international numismatic market through third-party minting arrangements common to small-nation collector coinage.