A foster pair of Cuban flamingos takes exemplary care of a young pink flamingo – both parents take turns caring for it. Photo by Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo
In the enclosure of Cuban flamingos in the lower part of the Prague Zoo, visitors can observe a few remarkable foster children these days. An experienced pair of Cuban flamingos took in a baby of another species – a pink flamingo.
“The egg was taken from the original parents to make sure it hatches. This is a common practice, as the clutch could be endangered by bickering adults or now also in high temperatures or, on the contrary, torrential storms,” bird curator Antonín Vaidl explains the decision. “After the chick hatched two weeks ago, we placed it under a more reliable pair, but it may be interesting that it is a different species of flamingos – Cuban flamingos. They are certified and, moreover, they went through an incubation period, so they immediately took on the replacement cub,” he adds.
You can find the popular flamingos in the Prague Zoo in two places in three species. In the Water Worlds and Monkey Islands exhibit, Cuban and Chilean flamingos inhabit the exhibit next to chabrak tapirs, pink flamingos can be seen on the opposite side of the exhibit unit near silver gibbons.