Three Goliath Heron chicks hatched at the Wasit Wetland Centre in Sharjah. Courtesy Wasit Wetland Centre
Three Goliath Heron chicks hatched at the Wasit Wetland Centre in Sharjah. Courtesy Wasit Wetland Centre
Three Goliath Heron chicks hatched at the Wasit Wetland Centre in Sharjah. Courtesy Wasit Wetland Centre
Three Goliath Heron chicks hatched at the Wasit Wetland Centre in Sharjah. Courtesy Wasit Wetland Centre

Endangered Goliath heron chicks hatch at Sharjah reserve


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SHARJAH // Three endangered Goliath heron chicks are being nurtured at a Sharjah nature reserve.

The chicks hatched at Wasit Wetland Centre’s breeding area for endangered wildlife, on March 7, 9 and 11, about a month after the eggs were laid.

Goliath herons are the largest herons in the world and are sparsely distributed across Africa, with a small breeding population on the coast of the Arabian Peninsula, the centre said.

“To hatch three chicks and have them successfully reared by the parents is a very unusual success story,” said Hana Al Suwaidi, chairwoman of the Sharjah Environment and Protected Areas Authority which runs the centre.

The chicks are part of a breeding programme held in coordination with the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria.

Their mother came from Beekse Bergen Safari Park in the Netherlands and the father from Zoo Berlin in Germany.

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Day 1 results:

Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)

Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)

Scoreline

Switzerland 5