PRESS
RELEASE
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| Ring-tailed lemur |
Bearing
fruit to its ongoing conservation efforts, the Montecasino Bird
Gardens has over the past few months successfully hand-reared three
Mexican Beaded Lizard hatchlings (which is a first for South Africa),
three Southern Ground Hornbill chicks and a baby Ring-tailed Lemur,
all of which are endangered species. The hatching of a baby Eastern
White Pelican adds to the growing number of success stories for the
Bird Gardens breeding programme.
To
contribute to the continued presence of the Mexican Beaded Lizard
(Heloderma
horridum horridum) in
South Africa three eggs, laid in the Gardens, were collected for
artificial incubation. It was an agonizing 179 days of waiting, but
on 31 August the first of the three eggs began hatching. Over a
period of three days, all the neonates, weighing between 33 and 44
grams and measuring roughly 16cm, made their appearance.
“It’s
a process, but one to which we are certainly committed,” says
Property Manager of Montecasino, Deidre Jameson. “The Mexican
Beaded Lizard has been listed in the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since
1975. The successful breeding of our three hatchlings was a first for
South Africa and an achievement of which we are very proud.”
Another
first for the Gardens and for Gauteng was the successful rearing of
Penelope, the Eastern White Pelican (Pelecanus
onocrotalus).
Penelope hatched under her mom and at four days old was pinioned,
transpondered and a blood sample was sent away for DNA sexing. At
this stage, Penelope weighed a mere 233 grams, but she has grown very
quickly under the watchful eye of her very loving and protective
parents. Very dark in colour at first, Penelope, is now two months
and 26 days old and is becoming lighter in colour and losing her
juvenile feathers.
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| Baby pelican |
The
first Southern Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus
leadbeateri)
chick of 2013 has also hatched. There are only 1500 Southern Ground
Hornbills in Southern Africa and only 416 breeding pairs. The species
is extremely threatened and within South Africa they have been
considered endangered due to various threats, including secondary or
accidental poisoning, electrocution, live trade, and traditional
uses.
“Soon
these birds will be listed as ‘critically endangered’ in South
Africa if extreme action is not taken, which is why, at the
Montecasino Bird Gardens, we are proud to be part of the Mabula
Ground Hornbill Project. The project protects existing wild
populations and aims to reintroduce Southern Ground Hornbills in to
areas where they have become locally extinct and to date the
Montecasino Bird Gardens has hatched and hand-reared seven chicks.
After fledging, these chicks are sent to ‘bush school’ before
being released into the wild,” continues Jameson.
Another
exciting addition came in the form of a baby male Ring-tailed Lemur
(Lemur
catta)
named Amby. Weighing roughly 70 grams at birth, and spending about a
week being carried upside down while holding onto mom’s chest, the
arrival of Amby brings the number of lemurs that can be seen at the
Montecasino Bird Gardens to six – four males and two females.
Lemurs
are endemic to Madagascar and some species are near extinction as
deforestation on the island continues to create problems for the
conservation of the biodiversity. Ring-tailed Lemurs have a gestation
period of 135 days. In three years’ time Amby should be mature
enough to start a family of his own.
“We
are very proud of the achievements of the Montecasino Bird Gardens
and of the specialised care it provides to the over 1000 bird,
reptile and mammal species housed at the Gardens, many of which are
rare or endangered. The
Montecasino Bird Gardens, like the rest of the precinct, is strongly
environmental and conservation-focused and Montecasino invests
heavily into the breeding, educational and rehabilitation programmes,
while also being a delight for every visitor, young and old,” says
Glenn Joseph, General Manager of Montecasino.
The
Montecasino Bird Gardens is open to the public every day, excluding
Christmas day. Through its children’s holiday programme and special
events, the Bird Gardens fulfils an important role in environmental
awareness and provides a tranquil and fun-filled environment for the
whole family. For further information on the Montecasino Bird Gardens
please visit www.montecasino.co.za.
Issued
on behalf of the Montecasino Bird Gardens by Strategic Public
Relations.
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