Quick Facts: White Emu

The rare white emu is a resident of Australia is the second largest bird in the world. It avoids living in dense forests, areas populated by humans and arid terrains. They have been spotted in deserts but they are much more common near water supplies.

Emus are part of the Ratite family which include ostrich, rhea, kiwi, cassowary, and the recently extinct Moa.  Far as I can tell the emu really only has beef with the Dingo. Everything you read about the emu has them seeking to avoid dingos at all costs.

With a top sprint speed of up to 30 miles per hour, the ability to stride 9 feet and a 7 foot vertical, the emu is a tough character to corral if you are a predator. Large reptiles like alligators can also be an issue for our feathery friend.

Breeding Habits

A pair of emu will breed in the summer and a female can lay a clutch of up to 15 eggs at a time. When the female lays her eggs she wanders off and the father tends to the clutch. A female can lay up to 3 clutches in a season and sometime will lay her eggs in another emu's nest and let a surrogate father tend to the clutch.

The male stays with the nest for about 8 weeks, until the clutch hatches. In this period he rarely leaves the nest and as a result of this loses a lot of his fat reserves. The chicks are born "precocial" which means they are pretty well functional at birth taking only a few minutes before they take their first steps. They stay with their father for up to 18 months while he teaches them how to hunt and avoid those pesky dingos.

The emu is a great swimmer and also an omnivore. They eat plants, new grass shoots, insects, lizards and fruit. The average lifespan of an emu is 10 to 20 years in the wild.  At birth this bird is less than a foot tall and grows to be about 6 feet tall. weighing up to 120 pounds, this majestic bird is a great addition to the fauna of Timbavati Wildlife Park.

The Touraco of Timbavati Wildlife Park

Greetings friends! This week we are taking a look at the turaco of Timbavati Wildlife Park.

This majestic bird can be found in the tropical rain forests of West Africa. They are often seen among the treetops and because they are not strong fliers they will run along the branches hopping from tree branch to tree branch. They are not migratory birds but will travel in groups of 10-12.

There are many types of turaco. (Also spelled “touraco”) The violet turaco is home to Timbavati Wildlife Park. This gorgeous bird has a glossy violet plumage hence the name. They’re unmistakable with their chestnut crown, yellow forehead with white ear-coverts.

More About The Turaco

Reproduction season is dependent upon the rain; they will mate in pairs. The female will lay on average 2 eggs and both the female and male will incubate for about 25 days. After the chicks hatch they are fed by regurgitation naturally. At about 4-5 weeks these chicks are ready to fly though they still are dependent upon their parents. Their diets consist of plantains, figs and different kinds of fruits.

The next time you’re at Timbavati Wildlife Park stop by and say, “Hi.” to our turaco! We look forward to seeing you!

The Spider Monkeys of Timbavati Wildlife Park

Greetings friends and welcome to the week of the Spider Monkey!

Spider Monkeys are found in the tropical forests of Central and South America From Southern Mexico to Brazil. They have long arms and legs with prehensile tails which means that they can use them to grab as well as hang by them.

While these furry critters are hanging from a tree by their tails they can look like huge spiders when they’re darting through the shadows.

Spider Monkeys Mostly Like Fruit

The spider monkey weighs anywhere from 14 to 26 pounds and is an omnivore. The Spider Monkey lives on a diet of fruit, nuts and leaves but will also eat insects and small reptiles. It also doesn’t have any thumbs. It has 4 fingers that can hook around branches when swinging. Our spider monkeys really get after green grapes, they're grape-a-holics!

Male spider monkeys typically stay with their troops for life, a troop is usually made up of 15-25 individuals. Females leave the troops from time to time to join new troops. The gestation period of the female is about 230 days and females will give birth to one baby at a time.

Timbavati Wildlife Park has its own troop with a one year old baby playing around the enclosure. You can learn more fun facts about the Spider Monkeys in this Week’s Video.

The Toucans of Timbavati Wildlife Park

Greetings friends and welcome to Toucan Week! I am excited about this week because as a kid, Fruit Loops were a favorite dish cereal. I couldn’t have told you what a eurasian owl or tawny eagle were, but I could definitely tell you what a toucan was, just follow my nose!

Standing at 25 inches the Toco Toucan is the largest of the species. The beak of a toucan is about 8 inches long as well so it isn’t a little bird. A penguin has pink areas around the eyes that allow it to regulate body temperature, a toucan uses its beak in the same fashion, tucking it when it’s asleep to keep warm.

Toucans are omnivores who love fruit but will also eat insects, frogs, reptiles, and sometimes even eggs of other birds.

Toucans are better hoppers than they are flyers doing more to hop around the canopy than they do flying. They pretty much are great gliders! This resident of South America enjoys a habitat of tropical forests and savannas living in the trees and nesting in holes in the trees.

A female toucan lays 2-4 eggs a year and both parents share in the incubation duties. The incubation period for the eggs is around 20 days. The next time you’re in Timbavati Wildlife Park, stop down in the interaction area and check out our toucans! 

Eurasian Owl

The Eurasian Owl, also called the Eurasian Eagle-Owl is one of the largest owls in the world. Its wingspan can be as large as 2 meters and it easily averages 6 to 7 pounds in weight. When I think of the look of this owl it classically looks like the owl in the Secret Of Nimh that had it in for Mrs. Brisby. Yeah I went there, let’s move forward ha ha ha.

The Eurasian Owl has a wide range and multiple subspecies variations, basically it looks a little bit different from region to region. This is appropriate because this nocturnal hunter has a range that covers most of Europe, some of the Middle East, Russia, China and even gets as far as Japan.

Western folklore reveres the owl as a wise old sage who lives to give advice and scam little kids out out their Tootsie Pops. I would say that if you were a member of the animal kingdom or even a small pet owner in this owl’s habitat, it’s both a terror and an apex predator. This owl’s size puts it in a far more elite class than the typical barnyard variety that we are used to in the United States.

The Eurasian Owl will eat small mammals, rabbits and such. It also eats other birds. It will eat fish and dive bomb them if it can. Animals as large as a young deer have been carried off by this powerful carnivore, insects, reptiles, see what I mean when I say terror. Something this large with the power of flight only has to fear a larger bird, good luck with that one.

The Eurasian Owl nests in trees, caves, crevices and sometimes in holes on the ground. A female lays a clutch of 1-5 eggs and incubates them for 34-36 days. While this is going on the male keeps her nourished and continues to hunt for the both of them. The young can’t fly for the first couple of months and won’t begin leaving the nest for the first 6 months or so.

The next time you’re in Timbavati Wildlife Park stop by our waterfalls area and visit the Eurasian Owl.  

World Wildlife Day

Hello all! Happy World Wildlife Day! Today is a day created by the United Nations as an observance of the need for conservation and cause for animals and plantlife the world over!

Here is a quick look at the official statement released by the UN on the day.

    “On 20 December 2013, at its 68th session, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 3 March, the day of signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as UN World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants. The UNGA resolution also designated the CITES Secretariat as the facilitator for the global observance of this special day for wildlife on the UN calendar.

World Wildlife Day will be celebrated in 2017 under the theme “Listen to the Young Voices.” Given that almost one quarter of the world’s population is aged between 10 and 24, vigorous efforts need to be made to encourage young people, as the future leaders and decision makers of the world, to act at both local and global levels to protect endangered wildlife.”

National Pig Day

Happy National Pig Day! That’s right March 1st is the day of the pig and we are happy to mark the occasion with you!

Pigs have been known to be a “dirty” animal. That is a common misconception based on the fact that they will roll around in mud to keep cool. Sweat glands are few and far between for these animals not allowing their bodies to adjust to the temperature which is why they will roll in mud.

Pigs are actually quite clean and careful not to soil areas where they will eat and or sleep.  

Baby pigs are called piglets and a group of piglets is called a swift whereas a group of older pigs is called a sounder. Piglets can weigh around 3 lbs at birth and can grow to be anywhere from 300-700 lbs and then some!

Pigs have large heads with long snouts. They have sensitive nostrils and an incredible sense of smell. This comes in handy when using their strong snouts to search and root the ground for food.  

Pigs are a very peaceful animal and just as social. They will form close bonds with other individuals. They will lay together as they love close contact.

Check out the video below to hear more fun facts and see our amazing pig family at Timbavati Wildlife Park!

Until next time!