But visitors to Jersey Zoo have been treated to a more unusual sight recently – a keeper out walking baby flamingoes.
Slayer and Seal-pup are ten-week old Chilean flamingoes – the sixth and seventh to be born at the park in recent months.
And because they grow so quickly, it is imperative their keepers take them for regular exercise to ensure their long legs can develop properly.
The chicks have been hand reared – on a diet of fish soup syringe-fed to them every few hours between 6 am and 11 pm – and were this week due to be introduced to their flock, where the other chicks born a few weeks before them are already living. All seven chicks born this season have names beginning with ‘S’.
Deputy head of birds Harriet Whitford said the daily walks would now stop as they would get their exercise with the rest of the flock.
And she said it had not always been a simple task taking the chicks out for a walk.
‘When people see us [walking the birds] they do a double-take and when they do realise what is happening they stop.
‘But the flamingoes follow anyone with the longest legs, or if they think someone has more attractive legs than us,’ she said.
‘We have been taking them out in front of the bird department, which you can see from the restaurant, and the children who see it particularly like it – they are pressed against the windows watching.’
The young birds are introduced to the flock in stages to ensure they learn the pecking order.
At first they are chaperoned by a keeper, then they spend gradually more time with the flock.
The three oldest chicks, which are around four months old, are currently spending a few nights at a time with the flock and are brought in every few days to check they are getting enough food and thriving.
And Ms Whitford, who has been looking after the birds alongside senior bird keeper Simon James, said the keepers had worked hard to prepare the birds for life with the flock – even using her child’s old flamingo toys so they get used to the shape and colour of the adult birds.
She added: ‘They will be on show over the next couple of months for visitors to see.
‘These guys are fluffy and grey and very slowly over time they will turn pink, but not fully until they are three or four.’
The flock is fed on a commercial diet that has pigment in to ensure they keep their pink hue. The chicks get the pigment they need from the prawns which are used along with sardines to make the ‘fish soup’ feed.
