The Moscow Zoo has announced exciting news: a baby paradise crane has hatched! This is a remarkable event as it marks the first time in 20 years that a crane chick has successfully hatched in the zoo without human intervention.
Under stress, paradise cranes have a tendency to break their eggs if they feel unsafe. Due to previous incidents of this nature, zookeepers would often transfer eggs to incubators and replace them with wooden dummies. This is how the previous chick from this pair hatched last year.
However, this summer, zoologists closely monitored the parents throughout the incubation period and determined that human intervention was unnecessary. The chick hatched successfully in the enclosure and is now being cared for by its parents. The chick's sex is still unknown and will be determined through a blood test.
Visitors to the zoo can now observe the happy family near the Bird House in the Old Territory. They can watch as the young crane learns to find food. Zookeepers scatter insects in the enclosure, which the adult cranes then dig up. The parents show their chick where the treats are hidden. The chick has also started to sample cottage cheese, meat, and fish.
Paradise cranes are incredibly protective parents and will fiercely defend their young. When visitors get too close to the enclosure, the male crane will tap on the glass with its beak as a warning.
