In a rare occurrence in captivity, it took more than 50 days for the father’s patient brooding efforts to result in one of three eggs hatching. The remaining two eggs did not produce any chicks as they were not fertilized.
Heartwarming photos show the brown-headed chick with striped black and white plumage walking around its enclosure under the watchful eye of one of its parents.
Posting on social media, zoo staff said: “A cassowary hatchling coming into this world in captivity is always a bit of an event, as few of the birds put in an enclosure together actually pair.
“Reasons for this are their pickiness when choosing a mate, longevity, and reaching sexual maturity relatively late.
“Zoos that nonetheless wish for their cassowaries to mate, must often swap one of the birds out for another.
“Successfully breeding cassowaries in captivity requires patience, experience, and cooperation between different zoological gardens.”
Southern cassowaries (Casuarius casuarius), also known as double-wattled cassowaries, are native to parts of Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya on the same island, as well as the York Peninsula in Australia’s Queensland state.
Their dropping numbers have led to them being recognized as vulnerable in some parts of Queensland, and even endangered in others, although populations in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia are thriving.
The brooding and care for the hatchling are solely the male’s tasks. In the wild, cassowaries are solitary and only meet during the mating season.
A female left together with the male and the chick could result in her acting violently toward them.
54 zoos in Europe keep southern cassowaries, but the one in Warsaw is one of only three that managed to successfully see a chick delivered this year.
