A special airlift for thousands of baby flamingos is under way in South Africa as drought puts their breeding ground in peril.
A reservoir that hosts one of southern Africa’s largest flamingo populations is drying up.
The flamingo eggs are losing their cool, moist protective cover and their inner membranes are hardening, making it difficult for chicks to peck their way out.
The site is littered with the bodies of hundreds of dead chicks. The cheeps of chicks trapped inside overheating eggs can be heard.
Local and national groups, along with environmental authorities, have stepped in for the rescue operation swiftly organised online and by word of mouth. Bird experts and vets have also pitched in.
Other batches have been flown to Cape Town and other approved locations.
Three thousand flamingo chicks have been moved altogether.
If the water levels keep dropping, experts said, the parents might abandon the chicks to save themselves.
The chicks in new homes have a special diet of baby cereal, sardines, eggs, prawns and vitamin supplements.
To simulate parents, feather dusters are placed in the chicks’ boxes.
Interaction with humans is restricted beyond feeding to minimise imprinting. Infrared lights give the chicks warmth.
