Ostrich chicks meet visitors in Yunnan Safari Park

20 newly-born ostrich chicks met visitors at the Yunnan Safari Park in Kunming, capital city of Yunnan province, on June 18. They grew fast and they were healthy. When they grow up, they will go to free-ranging area.

When the reporter arrived in the park, these little birds were eating vegetable leaves, twigs and even little stones. Yes, stones! An adult ostrich carries about 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) of stones in its gizzard (second stomach). Since ostriches do not have teeth, they eat stones which help to grind their food when it reaches the gizzard.

In the African wildlife area, the staff specially designated a green lawn for the little guys to exercise and bask in the sun. According to the reports, as the ostrich chicks continue to grow up, their appetite is becoming stronger. Now, 20 ostrich chicks can eat as much as 20 kilograms. In addition to vegetables and grass, staff also prepared other special food they like to improve their diet.

The two-month-old ostrich chick each weighs up to 20 kg and an ostrich adult can reach 130 kg. "If they see an ostrich leader running in one direction, they will run with it," the staff told reporters. "When the baby ostriches saw visitors coming by, they ran to the visitors for food, attracting many onlookers, especially curious children."

Reporting by Zhang Cheng (Yunnan Net); Trans-editing by Mo Yingyi