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Our Great Grey Owls have become parents!

They had a rocky relationship at first as Betty travelled from Banham Zoo and was reared by her owl parents. Isaac, on the other hand, was reared by previous keepers at the park and it seemed unlikely the two would breed.

Our Great Grey Owls have become parents! article image

After sharing their aviary for 3 years they laid 3 eggs which were reared successfully. This was amazing for the bird team as they had done training with Isaac, who is often used in our displays, and Betty, to check her health. This meant they had no problem with the keepers checking the nest every morning, candling the eggs and once the three chicks hatched, they even managed to check and weigh them. This is a rarity for many keepers in zoos as often owls become incredibly territorial but with the hard work the keepers had put in to training the owls Isaac and Betty trusted the keeping staff to handle them.

Two of the owls, Harriet and Nebula, have now moved onto their new homes at The Wild Zoological Park and a UK Falconry Centre to be used for displays and future breeding. Strix is staying here at the Tropical Butterfly House where when he’s old enough, he will be flown with Jester our African Spotted Eagle Owl. You can meet him now though most days in our displays and watch him grow from an owlet into the tallest species of owl in the world.

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Wildlife conservation at the heart of everything we do

Wildlife conservation at the heart of everything we do