What has happened to Chester's blue Eyed cockatoos? They used to have 2 pairs, but now there is only a single male.
The latest population assessment for the blue-eyed cockatoo is in excess of 10,000 mature birds with a range of at least 20,000 square kilometers. It's Red Data Book classification has been assessed as Least Concern, no evidence of a population decline over the last 30 years has been found. I guess it's just not endangered enough. I shall miss them if the zoo stops keeping them, I've always liked the blue-eyed cockatoo.
The zoo decided to keep a pair of blue-eyed cockatoos but unfortunately the hen died during egg laying. She was 11 years old and it was the first time she had laid. It has not yet been decided if Chester will bring in more blue-eyed, or (which I think is more likely), bring in another species. Citron-crestred and Lesser Sulphur-crested are both available and are more in need of captive breeding than the blue-eyed. The experience of keeping a breeding colony of blue-eyed cockatoos for over 30 years will come in useful for another cockatoo species. The zoo is currently trying to obtain females for the four Mount Apo Lorikeets. This lorikeet is considered vulnerable in the wild.
London could help in that respect. Personally, I think that they should bring a pair of male Mount Apo lories on show. The public would love them.
The zoo is going out of Blue-eyed Cockatoo`s as they cannot find an un-related bird and the fact that they are not that rare in the wild.
