Puppet plays mother as zookeepers hatch plan to save endangered magpie
Experts in Prague believe a puppet is better qualified than humans to teach the facts of life to the adorable chick.
Published
Zookeepers in the Czech Republic have turned to a puppet in an effort to save the critically-endangered Javan green magpie.
Officials saved one egg after the parents threw a second out of their nest.
The magpie chick which hatched a month ago is being kept in a box and fed using a puppet that imitates a parent bird.
Mr Vaidl said the puppet does not have to be a perfect imitation of an adult bird because the baby responds to certain signals, such as a red beak, black patches around the eyes and a bright green background.
