Rhea father Hannibal fights alone for the survival of his chick!

Rhea father Hannibal fights alone for the survival of his chick!

There's a lot going on at Leipzig Zoo at the moment, especially in the rhea stable. Yesterday, June 16, 2025, the dramatic events surrounding the rhea rooster Hannibal and his chicks were documented by animal keeper Janet Pambor. After intensive brood care, two chicks hatched from the eggs, but only one survived, which put a lot of strain on the zookeepers' work.

Hannibal now faces the challenge of ensuring the survival of his remaining chick as a single father. The zookeepers are extremely concerned about how Hannibal deals with this new phase of his life. “We have to make sure that Hannibal is not distracted, especially since rhea hens are tempting in spring,” explains zookeeper Florian. Careful attention becomes especially important because, as he notes, “Hannibal’s care is less pronounced with one chick than with several.” This presents a challenging situation for the impressive bird and its chick.

The sad breeding story

In the new episode of “Elephant, Tiger and Co.” the breeding of rhea roosters is discussed. Hannibal sat patiently on his eggs for over 40 days, but only one of the eggs saw the light of day. The rest, as Florian and his colleague Janette discovered, appear to be empty as they even attract flies, which indicates “rotten eggs”. The zookeepers initially relied on night camera surveillance before deciding to inspect the eggs in person.

The situation comes to a head when they discover that many of the eggs are infertile. Curator Ruben Holland suggests that the unfavorable weather conditions in recent weeks may have disrupted the chicks' development. The eggs were candled in a darkroom and some showed signs of spoilage. The sobering reality of zoo animal care becomes particularly clear here and shows that raising animals is often marked by setbacks.

The profession of zookeeper

However, the challenges in the zoo are not just about raising chicks: the job of a zookeeper is demanding. Day after day, they look after the most diverse residents of zoos and animal parks. This not only requires a lot of knowledge about the biology and anatomy of the animals, but also physical fitness and resilience, as the tasks range from showering elephants to feeding seals. Open positions for animal keepers are rare, which makes the competition for training positions particularly high. Despite the hard work, the profession is a popular dream job for many children.

The training allowance varies between 700 and 950 euros per month, and the starting salary is around 1,500 euros gross. Animal keepers in the public sector earn between 2,200 and 2,800 euros, while employees in industry or research can earn up to 3,500 euros gross. This shows that pursuing a career in animal care requires both passion and a strategic approach.

All of these aspects make it clear how complex and fascinating the world of animal care is. The zookeepers in Leipzig are ready to give everything to offer Hannibal and his chick the best possible future.

For further information and exciting insights into the lives of the animals at Leipzig Zoo, watch the current episode of thueringen24.de to. Also offers tag24.de Details of the dramatic breeding history and an insight into the challenges that the zoo staff must overcome. And if you would like to find out more about the careers in these fascinating institutions, you can visit stern.de inform.