Adelaide Zoo in Australia celebrated the arrival of its first cassowary eggs in decades.
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Bright green eggs laid at zoo
Dig deeper:
Two cassowary eggs were laid over the last few days, according to the zoo’s Facebook page.
The milestone comes after caretakers carefully paired the zoo’s female cassowary, 10-year-old Martina, with its 13-year-old male, Jeffrey, for the first time.
FILE – One of two cassowary eggs that were laid at Adelaide Zoo. (Zoos SA via Storyful)
Big picture view:
Zoo employees have yet to confirm whether the eggs are even fertilized, but the fact that the eggs were laid at all is still a huge success for the species, according to a zoo news release.
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What they’re saying:
“This is really exciting news for us because it has been 34 years since we’ve had successful cassowary chicks here at Adelaide Zoo, so the team and myself included are very excited,” Team Supervisor Birds and Free Flight, Erin, said.
What’s next:
Since it is unclear whether the eggs have been fertilized, caretakers will be monitoring the nesting area and the birds’ behavior closely in the meantime.
Cassowaries lay in clutches of up to 5 eggs
The backstory:
Cassowary can lay a clutch of between three and five eggs, according to the zoo.
It takes about 50 days to incubate and typically the male cassowary cares for and raises the chicks.
The bright green color of the shell helps camouflage the eggs from predators, according to the zoo.
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