Zoo Neuwied successfully hatches endangered bird egg

Zoo Neuwied has achieved a conservation milestone by successfully hatching a paradise crane egg using a Sarus crane as a foster parent. To ensure the Sarus crane would accept the egg, zookeepers employed a method inspired by cuckoos, initially swapping the real egg for a realistic plaster replica to test the bird's reaction.

The strategy proved successful, and the chick hatched shortly after the real egg was reintroduced. This unconventional approach aims to support the endangered paradise crane, a species classified as vulnerable by the IUCN since 1994. Following this success, a second paradise crane egg was also successfully hatched.

In a separate regional occurrence in Upper Bavaria, large flocks of cranes have been observed following a new migration route through the Upper Isar Valley. During this migration, a young crane had to be rescued from a tree by firefighters in Urfeld and was subsequently taken to the Garmisch-Partenkirchen animal shelter.