Luskouns are doing well in Prague, the female is already pregnant after a short acquaintance
photo: Prague ZOO/Luskouni is an endangered species.
An ultrasound examination confirmed the pregnancy of the female Run Hou Tang short-tailed nutcracker. She and her male Guo Bao have been living in Prague since April.
If all goes well, Europe’s first ever baby nuthatch could be born sometime between mid-December and mid-January. It informs about a great breeding success Press Release Prague ZOO.
“I don’t want to get ahead of events, but the very pregnancy of our nutcracker is a great success. If Run Hou Tang gives birth, it will be the first cub of a nuthatch on the old continent,” explained the director of the Prague Zoo, Miroslav Bobek.
One of the most illegally traded mammals
At the same time, Bobek added that such a cub would be a great Christmas present for him. He considers the clams to be ambassadors for wildlife and hopes that awareness of wildlife issues will continue to spread.
Shellfish are kept in the Prague Zoo mainly because of their danger. These scaly mammals are naturally found in South Asia and Central Africa, where they are massively hunted. They are among the most illegally traded mammals in the world. All eight species of nutmegs are thus included in the Red List of Threatened Species, in the category threatened with extinction.
The pair started mating right after they met
“After the obligatory one-month quarantine, we started bringing our pair of pods together through the contact box, a kind of introduction window, since the animals did not know each other. After a month, we brought the pods together and to our surprise they immediately started mating. The advantage is that, from the moment they arrive, we train them to be examined on a special trestle, which will allow us to perform an ultrasound and take blood,” explains their breeder David Vala, explaining the demanding breeding of pods.
The female underwent the first ultrasound examination already in August. But that turned out to be negative. The second examination confirms the expected offspring 100%.
Experts from Taipei Zoo help with breeding
Caring for pods is very demanding and the staff of the Prague Zoo must constantly consult with experts from the Taipei Zoo. It was from there that a pair of short-tailed nuthatches arrived in Prague in April.
“Now we have nothing else to do but keep our fingers crossed for the nutty couple that their first Prague offspring will be born at Christmas. I am pleased that inter-city diplomacy between Prague and Taipei can bear such rare fruit as a small ‘lively cone’. It can be seen that the pods are doing very well in the Prague Zoo and it provides them with a romantic environment for life,” praised the breeding success of the mayor of the capital Zdeňko Hřib (Pirates).
Nuts need to be protected
The Prague Zoo has been demanding the protection of nutcrackers in their homeland for a long time. In Cameroon, he supports the guardians of protected areas and, as part of the Roaming Bus project, he also tries to inform the local population about excessive hunting. The Prague Zoo also financed the construction of rescue stations for crustaceans in Laos and Sumatra.
Visitors to the zoo can now also support nutcrackers, thanks to an experience program Breakfast with nuts. For a crown, you can get close to the pods at a time when most of the garden is still asleep.
Another way to help is to additionally use the breeding option for the We help them survive collection (office number: 43–680 466 0247/0100) or by purchasing marked souvenirs from e-shop zoo You can express your support even just by visiting the Prague Zoo.