A pair of same-sex flamingos have efficiently hatched an egg at Devon Zoo, employees have stated.
Payington Zoo additionally stated that is the primary spherical of Chilean flamingo chicks since 2018.
The brand new additions embrace the same-sex couple Curtis and Arthur, the offspring of a number of flamingo {couples} named by the general public earlier this 12 months.
Though it isn’t recognized how Curtis and Arthur obtained the egg, employees say the egg was “deserted by one other couple”.
Chicken keeper Pete Smallbones stated same-sex parenting is a “recognized phenomenon” amongst flamingos.
He stated: “We're not completely certain how this happened, though it's a recognized phenomenon in Chilean flamingos and different chook populations.
“The almost certainly situation is that the egg was dropped by one other pair, so this pair accepted it.”
Different named pairs that hatched embrace Florence and Flame, Frenchy and Dell, and Flossie and Lando.
All of those flamingos had been named by the general public earlier within the 12 months to higher doc their summer time mating season.
The initiative, named Love Lagoon, pays homage to the truth TV collection Love Island, with frequent updates posted on the zoo's social media accounts.
Flamingo eggs hatch after about 28 days.
Mr Smallbones stated employees had been “delighted with the success of the breeding program to date this 12 months”.
He stated: “It is a testomony to the ability and arduous work of the chook crew and we hope extra eggs will hatch within the coming days and weeks.”
Chilean flamingos are native to South America and could be present in shallow lakes in numerous nations.
In keeping with the zoo, The species is declining within the wild As a consequence of many elements together with egg harvesting, disruption of tourism and habitat degradation on account of mining.