KEEPERS AT THE DOUBLE FOR A COUPLE OF TWO HUMPED CALVES
Two critically endangered double humped Bactrian Camels are being hand-reared by specialist keepers at Blackpool Zoo.
The male and female calves, which were born to Olivia and Lucy respectively, share the same father, Sid, and the same birthday.
Zoo staff arrived at work on the morning of 6th May to find both had arrived safely and naturally during the night.
Whilst Olivia didn’t have enough milk Lucy showed little interest in her calf, so specialist keepers moved them to a separate area to feed and rear them.
Each is fed five times per day with a mixture of calves and lambs milk powder, with keepers taking it in turns to return late each evening for the final feed and checks of the day.
They will be weaned and re-introduced into the herd at around 12 weeks, where they will join the six adults and slightly older half-brother, who was born at the end of February.
With a long history of keeping Bactrian Camels, Blackpool Zoo has successfully hand-reared calves in the past. Karamay, who is five, was raised and integrated back into the herd by keepers in 2006.
Jude Rothwell, Marketing and PR Coordinator at Blackpool Zoo, said: “Taking the decision to hand-rear any animal is always very difficult as we believe that the breeding process should be as natural as possible.
“However, in certain circumstances, we do have to hand-rear animals in order to give them the best possible chance of survival.
“We are very experienced in raising camels and it is wonderful to see that the two calves are doing well.
“They are housed next to the herd so they can see and hear them, which teaches them how to behave like camels and we will re-introduce them by following a very considered plan, which has always been successful in the past.
“Next on the list of things to do is to decide on names for the calves, which we will be announcing very soon.”
Bactrian Camels are classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, as there are around 800 left in the wilds of remote regions of the Gobi and Taklimakan Deserts of Mongolia and Xinjiang.
The species has two humps, whilst its relative the Dromedary Camel has one.
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Pictures show: Please see below links to images of The two camel calves and senior large mammal keeper Sofie Haugaard or email paula@icgonline.co.uk for images to be sent direct
For further information please contact:
Paula Holden, Julie Hackett or Denise Dawson at ICG on 01772 679383
paula@icgonline.co.uk; julie@icgonline.co.uk or denise@icgonline.co.uk
More information about Blackpool Zoo:
A bumper year of momentous first time births, huge investment and a hat-trick of awards saw Blackpool Zoo’s visitor numbers hit new record heights in 2010.
An investment of over £1million during the year led to the grand opening of the UK’s biggest sea lion pool, which completes the zoo’s Active Oceans attraction, a brand new Wallaby Walkabout and a redeveloped home for the zoo’s resident Aardvarks Laurel and Arnie.
Blackpool Zoo won three prestigious awards during 2010. Visit Blackpool crowned Blackpool Zoo its Visitor Attraction of the Year, The Be Inspired Business Awards hailed it Tourism Business of the Year and it was also voted Large Visitor Attraction of the Year at Lancashire and Blackpool Tourism Awards.
Blackpool Zoo is owned by Parques Reunidos, the second largest European leisure parks operator and a leading world-wide player. The zoo is home to over 1,500 mammals, birds, reptiles and invertebrates set amidst thirty-two acres of mature woodland and lakes.
The zoo’s signature animals include elephants, giraffes, big cats, gorillas, orang-utans, sea lions, primates, zebras and kangaroos. It is open every day of the year, apart from Christmas Day, from 10am.
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