On Friday (9), Foz Eco Park Zoo celebrated the one-year birthday of Baby, the first animal born at the zoo, with a hay cake and presents. The activity was followed by tourists visiting the park.
The birthday "party" is part of the environmental enrichment techniques developed with the animals at the Eco Park to stimulate the natural behaviors of each species.
In this specific action, the aim was to encourage the boizinho to feed in a different format. Instead of having them fetch their food from the traditional feeder, the food was served in the shape of a cake.
"Here at Eco Park we focus on the animal's well-being. In this activity we work on physical, food, social, cognitive and sensory stimuli," explained biologist Anna Cecília Leite.
Baby
Baby was the first animal born at Eco Park. His mother, the cow Jupira, arrived at the unit already pregnant. The space's caretaker, Mr. Nivaldo, followed the changes in the moon and the cow's behavior for weeks.
When it got closer to the birth date, the Eco Park team was on call 24 hours a day to help Jupira.
On the evening of the 8th, Jupira went into labor and it wasn't until the following day that she gave birth to Baby, assisted by veterinarian Stacy Wu. He was born prematurely, which required even more attention from the team.
"We spent three days in intensive care 24 hours a day, taking milk from the mother to give it to the baby by tube every three hours, as he had difficulty getting up," Stacy recalls.
According to the vet, on the third day Baby was able to stand up for a few minutes with difficulty; on the fourth day he was able to suckle his mother for the first time. On the sixth, he learned to stand up on his own and walk better, feeding well.
Since then, Baby and her mother, as well as the more than 200 animals that live at the Eco Park, have received daily care from the entire team.
Location
The Eco Park is located at Rua Cruz Alta, 111, and is open daily from 9am to 5pm.
Residents of Foz pay R$15. If you are accompanied by a paying tourist, entry is free. Children under six are free. Iguaçu residents accompanied by tourists get in free.
