KEAS AT LONDON ZOO

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 December 1940, Page 9

KEAS AT LONDON ZOO

DESTRUCTIVE HABITS LONDON, October 22. Of the London Zoo birds with destructive beaks—and there are quite a number—perhaps the worst offenders ‘ are the three New Zealand keas who came to England last year. Although they have only short, curved beaks, they do an incredible amount of damage. . they chew their cagewires until the whole area has to be rewired. Sometimes they batter their nesting-boxes until the woodwork becofnes unserviceable. More recently the ideas attacked the door leading to their sleeping quarters and played such havoc with the woodwork there that they could no longer be shut in at. night.. Now, the keepers have thought of a way out of their difficulties. In the keas’ cage they have placed several tree-stumps, well furnished .with bark: Of course, the keas do not know it; but these tree-stumps have beenprovided specially for them to ruin, And ruin them they do. Every now and then the birds make a “dead set” at one of the stumps and peck away at it until they have. stripped off all the bark and damaged much of the wood behind. Then they foregather on one of their perches, and comteinplate their “beakwbrk”—with evident satisfaction. As a rule they are not left .long to enjby their truimph, for the keepers remove thej , damaged stump and replace it with a new one; .