Endangered crane chicks born at Wild Zoological Park in Bobbington
Two endangered crane chicks have been born at a popular zoo in South Staffordshire amid coronavirus.
The birds, named Elvis and Jude, were hatched through an incubator at the Wild Zoological Park in Bobbington.
And the pair – aged 11-weeks-old and four-weeks-old – are now thriving, with the eldest Elvis set to start flying.
They have both been looked after under the guidance of head keeper Alice Spark to ensure the species' safety.
Zachary Hollinshead, director of the zoo, said: "The parents weren't the best parents with their eggs, so we had to take them off them and incubate them at the zoo ourselves.
"We had to make sure they were safe due to them being endangered. The parents were trying to look after them, but they smashed one egg and we just couldn't take the risk.
"They feature on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list – out of 15 species, 11 of them are on the red list including these guys.
"So we wanted to make sure they survive and thrive – it's extremely important to us."
The cranes are said to be adjusting "really well" – with the birds starting to see their feathers coming through, and Elvis close to flying.
"It's all down to a great job by Alice," Mr Hollinshead said.
"We're keeping them separate from their parents for the minute – the dad crane can be very territorial," he added.
