Bird Paradise Welcomes Its First Kagu Chick After Historic Hatching

Bird hatched after 25 days of artificial incubation and is being hand-raised

- Vihanya Rakshika

In a rare and remarkable breakthrough in avian conservation in Singapore, Bird Paradise has successfully hatched its first kagu chick, marking a historic milestone in the care and breeding of one of the world's most elusive birds.

In a media release on April 30, Mandai Wildlife Group, which oversees the operations of Bird Paradise, said the chick hatched on March 1 after 25 days of artificial incubation. It is being hand-raised at the park's Breeding and Research Centre.

The kagu is a flightless bird native to the dense forests of New Caledonia, a French territory in the south-western Pacific Ocean, east of Australia. The bird is generally regarded as elusive, hiding in dense, humid forests.

"Welcoming our first kagu chick has been incredibly special for the team," said Ms Anais Tritto, assistant vice-president of animal care at Mandai Wildlife Group.

"After several unsuccessful incubation attempts by the parent birds, we stepped in to artificially incubate the egg, carefully controlling the temperature and humidity to replicate natural nesting conditions as closely as possible to support healthy development," she said.