Hand-raising at Zoo Vienna
Newsletter 21/04/2016
Since Sunday, the visitors of Zoo Vienna can observe our human-foster parents raising their chicks. Hand-raising takes place in a container, which is placed near the Northern Bald Ibis aviary.
Through the container´s window the visitors can watch Corinna Esterer and Anne-Gabriela Schmalstieg raising their 16 chicks. In an information tent in front of the container, the LIFE+ project “Reason for Hope” is presented to the visitors. Additionally, an adjacent “Northern Bald Ibis playground” provides entertainment for the children.
The hand-raising is one of the most challenging tasks in this European reintroduction project. During the first 20 days after the hatching, the chicks grow incredibly fast, reaching a body weight of about 1.000 grams, which corresponds to twenty-five times the weight at hatching. This means a lot of metabolic stress. A lack or a wrong composition of nutrients can rapidly cause irreversible maldevelopment and impairments. At the same time, the irreversible and very specific bonding between the chicks and their (foster) parents should be developed. In the case of our project this is an essential requirement for the future flight-training, because only a well imprinted bird is willing to follow the foster parent in the plane. Thus, the work of the foster parents at this time is very demanding, but also a unique and enriching experience.
In total, 32 chicks in two groups are currently raised at Zoo Vienna. Corinna and Anne raise 16 chicks, Rachele Trevisi and Milena Klumb care for another 16 birds at a place outside the visitor’s area. When the chicks reach an age of about 35 days, it is time for the foster parents and their chicks to move to the two training camps at Seekirchen am Wallersee. Visitors have time till about mid of May to experience the presentation at Zoo Vienna. In 2014, 140.053 people visited Zoo Vienna during the 27-day presentation of hand-raising.
The majority of the chicks (30) come from the breeding colony at Tierpark Rosegg in Carinthia (http://www.rosegg.at). Two chicks come from a breeding colony at the Konrad-Lorenz research station at Grünau im Almtal. We would like to thank the owners and the zoo keepers of these two institutions, with special thanks to Lynne Hafner!
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