Baby boom at the Montecasino Bird Gardens

It’s summer, a time for new life.

At the Montecasino Bird Gardens a Southern Ground Hornbill chick and a baby Ring-tailed Lemur, both of which are endangered species, have been successfully reared over the past few weeks.

This takes the number of endangered and vulnerable species reared at the Montecasino Bird Gardens to 50 – including 39 bird species, four mammal species and seven reptile species.

The growing number of success stories for the Bird Gardens, since April last year, includes 207 individual birds, 13 individual mammals and 16 individual reptiles, or a total of 236 specimens. Among them were four baby Mexican Beaded Lizards (Heloderma horridum horridum), an Eastern White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), eight Southern Ground Hornbills (Bucorvus leadbeateri), two Ring-tailed Lemurs (Lemur catta), two Brown Lemurs (Eulemur fulvus), three Hermanns Tortoises (Testudo hermannni), six Madagscar Ground Boas’s (Acrantophis madagscariensis), six Ne-Ne’s (Branta sandvicensis), fourty five Carolian Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa), three White-Naped Cranes (Grus vipio), one Manchurian Crane (Grus japonensis) and 13 Meerkats (Suricata) to mention but a few.

“The breeding and hand-rearing of these endangered and vulnerable species is a process, but one to which we are certainly committed,” said Property Manager of Montecasino, Deidre Jameson. The Montecasino Bird Gardens has strong focus on the environment and conservation and Montecasino invests heavily in breeding, educational and rehabilitation programmes.

Holiday activities at the Gardens:

From 8 December to 12 December and again from 5 January to 9 January the Gardens will be running a special school holiday programme for children between the ages of six and 11.

At only R135 per child per day, which includes an action-packed day filled with fun and learning activities, the Flight of Fantasy Bird Show, interactive tours through the Bird Gardens, educational games and take home crafts, a cold drink and a packet of chips, it’s the perfect way to spend the holidays.

Your children will be able to enjoy a special theme programme of fun and learning each day.

The programme consists of:

• Mondays: Reptile Rascals – where the little ones get to learn more about snakes and other exciting creatures.
• Tuesdays: Birds of Prey – where they will learn all about raptors, owls and hawks.
• Wednesday: Bush Survival – which will see kiddies learning all about the bush and how to survive in it.
• Thursdays: Feathers & Fur – giving the children a glimpse into the world of beautiful birds and amazing mammals.
• Fridays: Showtime – everyone’s favourite behind the scenes look at the Montecasino Bird Gardens where children will be able to experience the joys of working closely with some of the birds and animals housed in the Gardens.

The programme starts at 08.30am and finishes at 14.30pm daily. Children should bring a packed lunch, sun hat, water bottles and sunblock. Bookings are essential as space is limited.

Details: Montecasino Bird Gardens 011 511 1864, www.montecasino.co.za