Louisville Zoo welcomes rare duckling

LOUISVILLE, Ky., June 17 (UPI) -- Officials at the Louisville Zoo say the zoo is now home to a duckling belonging to a rare species.

Louisville Zoo spokeswoman Kara Bussabarger said the duckling, Gerry, was hatched from an egg found by a zoo worker after the animal's mother apparently abandoned it, The Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal reported Tuesday.

"It's the first time in the Louisville Zoo that we've ever had this bird hatching," Bussabarger said, "and we've been around for 40 years."

Zoo bird curator Gary Michael told the Courier-Journal it is not uncommon for a mother bird to abandon a new egg laid outside the nest.

Michael said once the egg was found, it was placed into an incubator until Gerry, a member of the endangered Madagascar teal species, was hatched.

Bussabarger said only 200 members of the species are currently living in zoos worldwide with nearly 2,000 more living in the wild.

The Courier-Journal said the zoo plans on eventually relocating Gerry to another zoo so the bird can breed with members of its species.