New Arrivals at Shorelands Shorelands Wildlife Gardens in Norfolk have welcomed a few new animals, including a group of West African Sitatunga and a female Blue-headed Macaw. Sitatunga are a species of medium sized swamp-dwelling antelope found throughout central Africa, with Shorelands group coming from Chester Zoo. They are often referred to as Africas only true amphibious antelope, and have specially adapted long splayed hooves for walking through muddy, vegetated swampland. The other new arrival, a female Blue-headed Macaw has arrived on a breeding loan from Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation, with the intention to be paired with a male from the Czech Republic. Taxonomically the Blue-headed Macaw has been a difficult species to understand, with it historically being included with other much larger macaws in the Genus ‘Ara’ and later with ‘Propyrrhura’. However due to new instructions given by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, the species has now been placed in ‘Primolius’; a group sometimes known as the ‘mini-macaws. Sitatunga are classed as Least Concern, with the species threatened by the loss of wetland habitat throughout their natural range as well as hunting for the bushmeat trade. Blue-headed Macaw on the other hand are recognised as Vulnerable by the ICUN Red List due to the fact they are being traded on the illegal bird market in South America, with its desirability increased as a result of their perceived rarity. Photo Credit: Shorelands Wildlife Gardens
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 14:00:00 +0000
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