The Guindy National Park now has three more emus. These birds – two male and one female – have been brought in from Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur. With this addition, the number of emus at the park has risen to four.
The old enclosure has been widened to accommodate these birds, native to Australia. Having an overall height of 180 cm, an emu weighs up to 55 kilograms and has a beak up to 12 centimetres. The females lay 15 to 25 eggs, which are incubated by males for 52 to 60 days. An emu can run up to a speed of 50 kph, eats mostly fruits and seeds. The predecessors of today’s emu lived in Australia during the upper pleistocene about 50,000 to 1,00,000 years ago, zoo officials said.
Other changes include construction of new play equipment for children and installation of a reverse osmosis water treatment plant, worth Rs. 5 lakh, at the north end of the park to provide clean water to visitors.
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