The Fort Worth Zoo announced it's sharing in the graduation spirit as 12 of its lesser flamingo chicks moved into the adult habitat.
Zoo officials said behind the scenes, employees raised the chicks from incubation, with 24-hour feeding, veterinary care and daily walks, to ensure the birds remained healthy before joining the rest of the flock.
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WATCH HEREAccording to zoo officials, lesser flamingos, native to sub-Saharan Africa and western India, are difficult to breed under human care due to their lower reproduction success.
However, zoo representatives said Fort Worth is one of the most successful lesser flamingo breeders globally, with 446 hatching chicks since 2002.
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SIGN UP The zoo said its success came after changing the birds' habitat from an outdoor, natural breeding area to one that included heating lamps and mirrors to create the illusion of a larger flock.
According to zoo officials, habitat disruptions have put lesser flamingos on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's "near-threatened" list.
The zoo said this year, only two U.S. institutions have hatched lesser flamingos, and only 45 chicks have hatched worldwide.
"The Zoo’s lesser flamingo breeding efforts are incredibly important to create a long-term, self-sustaining population of these birds in U.S. zoos," Fort Worth Zoo said.
