Keepers at a British zoo are celebrating the appearance of five eggs that suggest an attempt to save one of the world’s rarest creatures – the Lord Howe Island stick insect – is working.
The eggs were found at Bristol zoo gardens, which is part of a global effort to prevent the animals becoming extinct.
The zoo’s effort to save the species, which hails from a remote Australian island, began in 2015, when 300 eggs, carefully packed in sterilised sand, arrived from Melbourne zoo.
Six animals reached adulthood – three breeding pairs – and produced eggs, which started hatching in May 2017. Five of those survived and have now produced eggs of their own.
Bristol zoo said this was significant because it is the first time outside of Australia a second generation of eggs has been laid.
Mark Bushell, curator of invertebrates, said: “We had our suspicions that the females might soon lay eggs.
“We have been tirelessly working with this critically endangered species for two years now, and to have achieved this success after such a lot of hard work and dedication is truly fantastic.
“It is certainly one of our biggest achievements in the seven years that I have been working in the zoo’s invertebrate department and a huge boost to the European captive breeding programme for this species.”
It is hoped that each generation will breed with greater success as the species becomes more used to the UK’s climate and conditions.
Keepers are feeding the stick insects plants specially grown by horticulturists at the zoo.
Lord Howe Island stick insects were once numerous on the tiny island off the coast of Australia after which they are named.
They were believed to have been driven to extinction by black rats in the early 20th century.
But in 2001, they were rediscovered on Ball’s Pyramid – a rat-free volcanic outcrop off the coast of the island.
Two pairs were taken to Australia to set up a captive breeding programme, which is now being rolled out across the world. Eggs were sent to Bristol, San Diego and Toronto zoos in 2015.
The remaining population on Ball’s Pyramid comprises just 20 to 30 stick insects.
Also known as tree lobsters, adult Lord Howe Island stick insects are wingless and nocturnal.
