Baby boom at the Bird Gardens

A southern ground hornbill chick and a baby ring-tailed lemur have both been successfully reared over the past few weeks at the gardens, which has taken their number of endangered and vulnerable species reared on their premises to 50, including 39 bird species, four mammal species and seven reptile species.

The growing number of success stories at the Bird Gardens, since April last year, includes 207 individual birds, 13 individual mammals and 16 individual reptiles. Among them were four baby Mexican bearded lizards, an Eastern white pelican, eight Southern ground hornbills, two ring-tailed lemurs, two brown lemurs, three Hermanns tortoises, six Madagascar ground boas, six Ne-Ne’s, 45 Carolian wood ducks, three white-naped cranes, one Manchurian crane and 13 meerkats.

“The breeding and hand-rearing of these endangered and vulnerable species is a process, but one to which we are certainly committed,” said property manager of Montecasino, Deidre Jameson. “Our membership of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums and recent acquisition of the Pan African Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation, sees us join a group of just seven other institutional members responsible for the African region, and bears testament to the hard work and dedication that goes into the breeding programme.”