Number of Chilean Flamingos doubles at Drusillas Park in Sussex as it welcomes more

Ten Chilean flamingos are settling into their new home at a zoo in Sussex.

The birds arrived from Longleat Animal Park a few weeks ago, and keepers say they are settling in well and already bonding with the existing flamingo flock at Drusillas Park.

The new cohort includes four flamingo chicks, who hatched earlier in the year.

It’s hoped that the new birds will give the existing group at Drusillas a boost and encourage natural breeding behaviours.

This is important for Chilean Flamingos because they are classed as ‘near threatened’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list.

The chicks are covered in fluffy, grey and white feathers, which will remain until the flamingos are 2-3 years old, when the pink feathers will have finished growing through.

Zoo Manager, Mark Kenward, said: "Welcoming 10 new Chilean flamingos has allowed us to achieve a more balanced ratio of male and female birds at Drusillas.

"This is exciting because it enhances our potential to successfully breed this stunning species, as well as increasing the size of our flock to 20 individuals, which greatly benefits their overall welfare.

"Flamingos are naturally social birds that thrive in large flocks in the wild, so expanding our flock is a significant step in providing them with a more natural and enriching environment.

"This is especially important for a species that has long been iconic here at Drusillas.

"We now have a healthy mix of age groups within our flock, ranging from the four chicks, to 42-year-old Anna - the oldest resident in the Zoo.

"These young flamingos will benefit from the guidance and care of the older, more experienced birds, helping to ensure their successful integration into the flock."

Native to the high mountain lakes in Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina, Chilean flamingos live in large flocks of several thousand birds.

Drusillas Park says there are fewer than 200,000 of this type of flamingo left in the wild, and their population is declining, putting them at risk of becoming a threatened species in the near future.

According to the Zoo, this is largely due to issues such as habitat loss and degradation caused by water diversion and mining, unregulated hunting, and egg collection.

The Zoo is asking for the public’s help to name the new arrivals on their Facebook and Instagram pages.

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