Zoo plays mom, artificially incubates six peahen eggs

Nagpur: In a first, the Balasaheb Thackeray Gorewada International Zoological Park, run by the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM), has successfully incubated six eggs of a peahen.
The breeding season of peafowl falls between March and September. Males mate with numerous females during the mating season. Post successful breeding, only females incubate the eggs and raise the young ones.They dig their nests in the ground and cover them using dried and decaying plant materials.
Zoological park director Shatanik Bhagwat said seven eggs were found near the herbivore safari on August 12 during the cutting of tall grass.
“We kept a close watch on the eggs and waited for the mother peahen but as she did not return, we collected the eggs. The semi-incubated eggs would have been ruined and the chicks would have died,” said Bhagwat.
Though the incubation period is four weeks, the six eggs were artificially hatched on August 22, by maintaining a 30-40 degree temperature with power bulbs. One egg was damaged and did not hatch.
Bhagwat said Gorewada plans to rewild the peachicks.
“As this is the first such experiment, we don’t know whether it will be successful and if once released in the wild other peahens will accept these chicks, or whether they will survive on their own,” said Bhagwat.