As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Monday 21 December 2015

Rare parrots introduced to Perth Zoo

Melissa Leo


With hopes of including them in a trial captive breeding program, two rare Western Ground Parrots received a thorough health check at Perth Zoo this morning.

A male and juvenile female were placed under anaesthetic before being weighed, X-rayed, micro-chipped and having DNA samples taken.

Matt Ricci, a Senior Australian Fauna Keeper from the zoo, teamed up with Parks and Wildlife scientists to transfer the two birds from Cape Arid National Park last month. They were captured just before fire devastated the area.

“We actually had fire the day after we were able to capture the male, they had to evacuate the park the same day the male arrived,” Mr Ricci said.

“The female had been caught about two days earlier.”

Bush fires during October and November destroyed 90 per cent of the critically endangered birds’ habitat.

Before the recent fires there were less than 140 Western Ground Parrots estimated in the wild.


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