1000 Francs Shoebill Stork

The Democratic Republic of Congo has issued wildlife-themed silver bullion and collector coinage through licensing arrangements with foreign minting houses for decades — the coins are legal tender in name but produced entirely for the international collector market, with no meaningful domestic circulation. The Shoebill, Balaeniceps rex, is native to the swamps of Central and East Africa, including the Congo Basin, which gives this issue at least geographic credibility that some of the country's more exotic wildlife releases lack.