Gay flamingos "adopted" and hatched abandoned egg together
August 14, 2024At a UK zoo, two charming same-sex flamingos have successfully hatched an egg, according to the staff.
Curtis and Arthur, both Chilean flamingos, achieved the successful hatching of the egg at Paignton Zoo in Devon.
The zoo team shared that this male pair contributed to producing the zoo’s first batch of flamingo chicks since 2018. Although it’s unclear how Curtis and Arthur obtained the egg, birds curator Pete Smallbones suggested it was likely abandoned by another flamingo pair, ‘MSN’ reports.
Typically, Chilean flamingo eggs are incubated and nurtured by both parents for about 28 days until they hatch.
Smallbones explained to the BBC, “We aren’t entirely sure how this has come about, although it is a known phenomenon in Chilean flamingos, as well as other bird flocks. The most likely scenario is that the egg was abandoned by another couple, so this pair have adopted it. The breeding program is a testament to the skill and hard work put in by the bird team, and we are hopeful that we may see more eggs hatch over the coming days and weeks.”
Image Credit: Canva
Paignton Zoo’s breeding initiative, titled Love Lagoon, maintains a social media presence that playfully references the reality TV show Love Island and provides regular updates on each couple at the zoo. To enhance documentation of each couple’s journey, the public participates in naming the flamingos through a vote.
This program is part of a larger effort to counteract the species' decline in the wild, which has been worsened by egg-harvesting, tourism disruption, and habitat destruction due to industrial mining activities.
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