New offspring at Chemnitz Zoo: Four emu chicks hatched

The Chemnitz zoo has four new residents. Four emu chicks have hatched in the Australia enclosure, the zoo announced on Tuesday. Father Heinrich is routinely looking after his offspring, which he had previously hatched for almost two months. As is usual with most ratites, the cock also takes care of the breeding of the emus. During this time, he consumes almost no food or liquids, it was said.

For Heinrich and his partner Katharina, this is already the eighth offspring since the emu couple have been living together at Chemnitz Zoo since 2013. "As with the previous offspring, Katharina is separated from Heinrich and the chicks. In the emus, the young are exclusively led by the cock", the zoo explained the rearing process. During this time, an emu male can sometimes become very aggressive in order to defend his young and also his territory.