Basel Zoo announces offspring of endangered bird species

Basel Zoo announces offspring of endangered bird species Keystone-SDA

Basel Zoo has announced the successful breeding of endangered Edward pheasants, black-and-white jays and bald ibises. The young animals hatched between March and June and will contribute to the conservation of these species.

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After two unsuccessful attempts, the black-and-white jay chicks were successfully bred for the first time on June 6, as the zoo announced. Previously, the parents had not fed the chicks sufficiently.

With the support of animal carers, they were now able to successfully take over the care of the chicks. The chicks have now even fledged. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), black-and-white jays are considered critically endangered.

Two chicks of the endangered Edward’s pheasants hatched on March 25 and further eggs were hatched in incubators. According to the zoo, one of the chicks died after hatching, but the others have since all been reunited with their parents.

The equally endangered Northern Bald Ibises, seven pairs of which have settled in the outdoor aviary according to the zoo, had four offspring on May 24. However, the clutch was reduced by one egg per pair in order to control the population and allow the animals to “continue their natural breeding and rearing behaviour”.

Of the more than 11,000 known bird species worldwide, around 12% are on the IUCN list of endangered animal and plant species, as the zoo also announced. It keeps 17 species in its aviary that are categorised as “endangered” to “extinct in the wild”.

The reasons for the threat to the species include the loss of natural habitats, the spread of predators, hunting of wild birds and the increasing effects of climate change.

Translated from German by DeepL/jdp

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