Tierpark Chemnitz: New Beo couple move in
Chemnitz Zoo takes part in reintroduction project
A new pair of beos can be seen at Chemnitz Zoo. Middle beos, a subspecies of the starling family, have been kept here for several years. After the middle beo hen died in Chemnitz in February this year, the remaining cock was swapped for a pair from Marlow Bird Park at the beginning of July. The special thing about it: the swap took place via a "dating centre" for beos.
Last year, the beo was named Zoo Animal of the Year 2020 by the Zoological Society for Species and Population Conservation (ZGAP). As part of this species conservation campaign, the ZGAP directly supports various conservation projects for the respective species every year. For example, a kind of beo dating centre was set up at Marlow Bird Park, where the birds are given the opportunity to choose their own partner.
The monogamous beos are very demanding when it comes to choosing a suitable partner. This makes it difficult even for experienced breeders and zoological institutions to breed beos. In order to find a harmonising pair, a larger selection of individuals is required. The Beo Dating Centre at Marlow Bird Park makes this selection possible.
It is hoped that the pairs created there, which are then passed on to other zoological institutions, will produce more Beo offspring so that the populations of the subspecies, some of which are threatened with extinction, can recover. Perhaps the Chemnitz Zoo will soon be able to report offspring among the middle beos.
Chemnitz Zoo takes part in reintroduction project
The Vietnam pheasant is one of many rarities in the bird population at Chemnitz Zoo. Mainly living in the wild in central Vietnam, this species is described as threatened with extinction. As there has been no reliable data on the population since 2018, but the numbers were already in sharp decline at the time, it is now assumed that the species is extinct in the wild. The main reasons for this are habitat destruction and hunting.
It is therefore all the more pleasing that the species, which has been kept at the zoo since 2013, has regularly produced offspring since 2015 - including this year. Chemnitz Zoo also successfully participates in the European Conservation Breeding Programme and also provides animals that are intended for reintroduction projects. For example, a hen that hatched last year left the zoo for Mulhouse (France) on 9 August.
From there it will continue on to Singapore. Here, another satellite population is to be established in the Jurong Bird Park. This means that the Vietnam pheasants bred there will be released back into the wild in suitable reserves in Vietnam.
Chemnitz Zoo is not only making this reintroduction possible by donating animals, but also providing financial support. The zoo paid for all the necessary veterinary examinations and the transport of the animal. The organisation and planning of such a reintroduction is coordinated by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) and the World Pheasant Association (WPA).
By participating in such a reintroduction project, Chemnitz Zoo is actively protecting species - one of the core tasks of zoological institutions.
www.tierpark-chemnitz.de
Opening hours in summer:
Zoo: 9 am to 7 pm, last admission 6 pm
Wildgatters 8 am to 6 pm, last admission 5 pm