Does anyone have pics or updated info of the blue ostriches hatched recently at Monarto Zoo? FYI they are the Zimbabwean Blue subspecies. It's my understanding that six chicks hatched, but that the adult male died not long afterwards. Does anyone know if this subspecies is kept anywhere else in Australia?
I didn't even know there were such things as blue ostriches! I have googled for pics of them and the Monarto website but haven't managed to find anything sorry. I look forward to seeing the pics too.
Look up the zoos blog - possibly under conservation ark. I first read about this in the newspaper I think.
Thanks for the tip markt. Managed to find this, although you may have already seen it. Ostrich Chicks -
they are kept on commercial ostrich farms in Australia, which I expect is where the zoo's ones came from
I believe Ostriches were imported over 100 years ago for the production of feathers for hats, which was the trend at the time. Once that fad passed they were released to fend for themselfs. They survived and persisted in South Australia I believe for about 100 years before the fad of Ostrich farming for their meat and skins came along. The wild ones were captured and sold for enormous prices. As far as I know no new blood has been introduced.
as you say, ostriches were first imported to Australia in the late 1860s for farming. After the failure of the market the birds were mostly released. When farming resumed in the late 20th century the feral birds were almost all recaptured (there are still some recent reports of wild birds). However fresh stock was imported from South Africa in the 1980s as well, hence the availability of "Zimbabwe blues", "African blacks" etc
This new genetics would have been completly funded by the commercial industry (zoo's are a consumer)& Zimbabwe Blues should be in Aus & avaliable as long as the commercial folks have them. Fiddeling with pest assesments & increasing regulations on owners making it untenable for them to maintain stock,would be their greatest threat. Cheers Khakibob
