Rescued emu and cassowary chicks build life skills through companionship

Wildlife officers from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) rescued the cassowary chick when it was just three to five days old, from a property near Mungalli Falls on the Atherton Tableland in August this year.

Senior Wildlife Officer Steve Coulson said when officers found the cassowary chick, it was on its own.

“After unsuccessful attempts to find the chick’s father, it was admitted to Garners Beach Cassowary Rehabilitation Facility for care,” Mr Coulson said.

“An abandoned chick of that size would have had no chance of surviving to adulthood if it had not been rescued by wildlife officers,” he said.

“Its now companion, the emu chick, was an orphan from the Townsville area and was in care for about six weeks before it was moved to the Garners Beach Cassowary Rehabilitation facility at Mission Beach.”

The two birds are currently in a special enclosure at the facility, where they will be protected from predators and environmental risks, and fed a healthy diet.

Staff from Rainforest Reserves Australia give the chicks daily care and monitoring, with veterinarian support.

Mr Coulson said the young birds were currently separated by a temporary partition that allowed them to see each other and get used to each other’s calls and behaviours.

By allowing the chicks to bond, it will reduce the likelihood of human imprinting on the younger cassowary chick.

With the other chick by its side, the amount of human contact is minimal and will increase the likelihood of successful reintroduction into the wild once the birds are ready.

Both cassowaries and emu chicks naturally stick close to their parent and siblings at this age.

By housing both emu and cassowary together they will be providing companionship and allow both animals to develop normal behaviours.

“So far they have spent time together almost every day for the last week and are getting on really well,” he said.

“In fact, it appeared the chicks seemed more comfortable while they were together.

“The pair will gradually be allowed to spend more and more time together every day during supervised sessions Wildlife Officers will keep an eye on how they are getting along.

“If both birds look like they are getting along well and aren’t showing any signs of overt aggression they will be permanently housed together before are both mature enough to be released back into the wild – which is likely to be at least a year away.”

Mr Coulson said if the chicks were still in the wild, they would have a lot more to do with their dads than their mums.

“In both emus and cassowaries it is only the male parent that incubates the eggs,” he said.

“This takes about eight weeks in both species.

“The male bird hardly eats or drinks for this entire time and loses a significant amount of body weight.

“There are very few birds where the male raises the chicks up on his own.

“Male emus incubate the eggs, but the adults raise their chicks together in a flock.”