Flamingos have their first brood naturally at Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden

20 years since being brought from abroad, flamingos at Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden have now successfully incubated their first brood of chicks naturally.

The 31st flamingo at Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden is now 1 month old - Photo: KY PHONG

Mr. Nguyen Ba Phu - Deputy Director of Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden Animal Enterprise - said that before 2006, Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden imported 9 flamingos from South Africa. By 2010, the unit imported 21 more from the Netherlands.

Flamingos are migratory birds, usually living in low-lying, muddy areas across the Americas. They live in large flocks and breed seasonally. Notably, each breeding season, flamingos only lay one egg.

This year's breeding season, Saigon Zoo recorded 5 pairs of flamingos nesting and laying eggs, of which one pair successfully hatched, 2 eggs were infertile and the remaining 2 eggs are being incubated manually.

Breeding flamingos in a nurturing environment like the one at Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens is considered very difficult. Therefore, over the years, staff have applied many technical measures to simulate the natural environment such as installing mirrors to create the feeling of a large flock, playing sounds to call the flock during the breeding season, creating fake nests...

Flamingoes' diet is pureed, supplemented with algae, artemia (atomi), shrimp and carrots, helping the birds maintain their characteristic pink color. Staff also change feeding locations seasonally, feeding low during the rainy season and moving to high, dry places during the sunny season, simulating the species' natural migration process.

Previously, in August 2025, Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden recorded the case of crowned cranes successfully reproducing from 4 African cranes. The eggs hatched after 5 weeks, in mid-September 2025, the 3 baby cranes are now tall and can feed themselves.

The birth of the baby flamingo marked a new step forward for the unit in the conservation and breeding of wild animals.

This year's breeding season, Saigon Zoo recorded 5 pairs of flamingos nesting and laying eggs, of which one pair successfully hatched, 2 eggs were infertile and the remaining 2 eggs are being incubated manually.

Flamingo's diet is pureed, supplemented with algae, artemia (Atomi), shrimp and carrots.

Each breeding season, flamingos lay only one egg.

At the flamingo garden, there is also a sign "Breeding cage" for visitors to take note.

Adding mirrors to create a sense of a large flock is one of the ways Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens helps to breed flamingos.

Saigon Zoo staff change feeding locations seasonally, feeding low during the rainy season and moving to higher, dry areas during the sunny season, simulating the species' natural migration process.

Saigon Zoo has taken a step forward in breeding and preserving wild animals in a semi-natural environment.

KY PHONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hong-hac-co-lua-dau-tien-kieu-tu-nhien-tai-thao-cam-vien-sai-gon-2025110612124307.htm