Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in Wraxall has welcomed four new ostriches this week, which will eventually grow to more than two metres tall.
The ostrich chicks hatched naturally in the African section of the park, which houses a number of exotic animals.
While the zoo has had ostriches at the park for more than a decade, successful rearing of their young is not common in captivity.
The ostrich pair Oscar and Octavia surprised keepers at the zoo by laying their large eggs in June. They were moved to an incubator for 35 days, but then hatched naturally and will join their parents in growing up to be the fastest ground-running birds.
Amazingly, they can reach speeds of more than 40 miles per hour.
Visitors to Noah’s Ark will be able to see the chicks group up, plus newly-born Siamang gibbons and giraffes, who have both been bred at the zoo over the past four years.
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