Abandoned Flamingo Chicks Get Help From Denver Zoo Bird Experts

DENVER, CO – Denver Zoo has sent veterinary technicians and bird experts to assist with a rescue mission for thousands of lesser flamingo chicks abandoned by their parents in Kimberley, South Africa.

After a severe draught hit Kimberley in January, thousands of lesser flamingo eggs were left behind at the Kamfers Dam after their parents were forced to leave the area to search for food and water, a statement from the zoo said.

Nearly 1,800 chicks and unhatched eggs of the near-threatened species were left behind. Local conservations agencies asked for help around the world as eggs and vulnerable baby chicks were taken to animal hospitals across the region.

Denver Zoo sent Veterinary Technician Eva Smoot, who traveled to South Africa in March. Smoot worked with about 50 sickly flamingo chicks at the University of Pretoria animal hospital. The flamingos at her site were dealing with serious health problems, including "broken legs, lesions and malnutrition," the zoo said in a statement.

“I didn’t even know the impact I would have until I got there and seeing how they responded to it and seeing how much help they needed,” said Smoot in a press release. “Most days it would just be me manning the fort, feeding, weighing and caring for the birds. It was a lot of work, but also incredibly rewarding.”

Denver Zoo is one of a group of AZA-accredited zoos that sent animal health experts to help with the chicks.

“We have staff with expertise in both veterinary medicine and hand-rearing flamingos who we knew could provide critical support to help ensure the survival of these birds in crisis,” said Brian Aucone, senior vice president for animal sciences in a press release. “As a conservation and animal care-based organization, this fits our mission to help wildlife, whether that be through our five conservation programs we run around the world, or rapid-response projects like this."

Two more Denver Zoo bird experts, Bird Keeper Anton Morrison and Assistant Curator of Birds Katie Vyas area headed to South Africa to help reunite the chicks with the larger lesser-flamingo flock in May.

According to the zoo, lesser flamingos are currently listed as "near threatened" by the International Union for the Conservation of Species (IUCN). They are found primarily in sub-Saharan Africa and some parts of India.