After great success in recent years in breeding and hand-rearing four Palm Cockatoos at Paradise Park in Hayle, staff are placing pairs on loan to other collections with the aim of building the captive population of this ‘Near Threatened’ species.
Curator David Woolcock explains “Palm Cockatoos are not the easiest species to breed, but with many years’ experience, our dedicated staff have successfully reared four in the past few years, Herbert, Norbert, Ethel and Elsie.
After they spend some time as a group of youngsters they become mature enough to pair up and bond with potential mates. Ethel and her mate recently moved to Drayton Manor, and now we are delighted to announce that Norbert and his mate have moved on loan to Newquay Zoo, so a great start for the New Year.”
A few weeks before the move, Paradise Park hosted a member of staff to spend some time getting to know the birds and ensure that there would be continuity in their care, and the range and presentation of food.
David added “Sadly, this year, the species was moved on the IUCN Red List from ‘Least Concern’ to ‘Near Threatened’ due to habitat loss in its native Australia, and its slow breeding rate. As well as being a beautiful and fascinating species to see, the captive population is more important than ever now that it is considered under threat in the wild.
“The pairs and young Palm Cockatoos still at Paradise Park are looking great so we hope for more chicks in 2024.”
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