We would like to inform you that, as part of Rock Ptarmigan conservation and breeding project promoted by the Ministry of the Environment and Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums, eggs laid by Rock Ptarmigan kept at our zoo were transported to Mount Kiso-Komagatake in the Central Alps on June 3, 2020.
The two eggs that were transferred this time were laid on May 29th and June 2nd, 2020.
This individual was born to a female (pedigree registration number: N27) born at our park and a male (pedigree registration number: N14) that came from Toyama City Family Park (Toyama Prefecture) to be paired with her (click here for details on the arrival).
Eggs laid on May 29th and June 2nd
Female (N27) born at our zoo
Male of the pair (N14)
The eggs, placed in a portable incubator (a device that maintains a constant temperature while transporting eggs) by our zoo staff, left the zoo on the morning of June 3rd and were safely delivered to staff from the Ministry of the Environment in Nagano Prefecture that afternoon.
In the future, we will investigate the nest of a single wild female rock ptarmigan living alone on Mount Kiso-Komagatake. If the female lays unfertilized eggs, we plan to exchange them for eight potentially fertilized eggs collected from zoos and aquariums across Japan that keep Rock Ptarmigan (2 from our zoo, 3 from Nasu Animal Kingdom (Tochigi Prefecture), 2 from Ishikawa Zoo (Ishikawa Prefecture), and 1 from Omachi Municipal Mountain Museum (Nagano Prefecture)).
If the eggs laid by the wild female successfully hatch and the birds grow, it will be the first instance of Rock Ptarmigan born from captive-bred eggs returning to the wild. This represents a significant step forward in Rock Ptarmigan conservation and breeding program, and we have high hopes for its future development.
Eggs placed in a portable incubator
[Video] The scene of the eggs leaving Ueno Zoo (Date of photo: June 3, 2020)
