Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

OFFBEAT

Hen adopts flock of abandoned rhea chicks

A chicken living in a zoo near Frankfurt has taken on a double handful of trouble after 'adopting' ten rhea chicks whose own father abandoned them.

Published: 16 July 2015 16:07 CEST
Hen adopts flock of abandoned rhea chicks
Gertrud comes face-to-face with one of her unusual adopted chicks. Photo: DPA

Keepers at the zoo in Worms, Rhineland-Palatinate, said that they tried introducing Gertrud to the rhea babies after their father failed to take care of them properly.

“She's just really relaxed,” zookeeper Karina Decker said on Thursday.

Gertrud has been taking care of the chicks for around six weeks and taught them to drink and to peck for food.

Rhea are flightless birds that grow to around 1.5 metres tall when they reach adulthood – so Gertrud might find herself rushing to keep up with her new brood in very short order.

Male birds are usually responsible for incubating the eggs and raising the chicks among the rhea, which are native to South America.

“Everything was just normal at the beginning,” Decker explains of the abandoned chicks.

But after the first few chicks emerged from their eggs, the male rhea would no longer allow them into his nest.

Since there were storms approaching and the chicks wouldn't have survived a soaking at such a tender age, the zookeepers had to intervene by bringing the chicks indoors.

One of the zoo workers then had the bright idea of bringing Gertrud from home to stand in for the father – and the rhea ended up making her one of their own.

SEE ALSO: Hamburg welcomes new addition to elephant herd

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

SHOW COMMENTS