Three endangered owlets hatched at Cambridgeshire zoo

Three endangered owlets hatched at Cambridgeshire zoo



Three chicks from an endangered breed of owl, believed to be extinct in the wild in its home territory, have hatched at a Cambridgeshire zoo.

Linton Zoo are hand rearing the three Turkmenian Eagle owlets.

Kim Simmons, zoo manager, said staff had had to take them from their mother to give them a chance of survival.

"They hatched in mid March but were rejected by their inexperienced mother and so were removed for hand-rearing but will rapidly grow," she said.

"They should weigh in at around a kilo each by the time they are three weeks old.

"The Turkmenian eagle owl is one of the largest in the world and is closely related to the European eagle owl.

"Sadly it is believed to now be extinct in its original wild range around Turkmenistan," she said.