By Mitchell Clarke
The second day in February marked the inaugural World Ostrich Day, an initiative created by a Beaconsfield woman who turned her passion into a cause for conservation.
Jade Tinker decided to create the international day to highlight what she call an “incredible species” by encouraging people to share photos, facts and stories about the ostrich.
“I chose the 2nd of February as the ostrich is the only member of the ratite family (flightless birds) that have two toes, all others have three or four,” Ms Tinker explained.
“As the number two is unique to the ostrich, it felt fitting to celebrate the first ever World Ostrich Day on 2/2/2020.”
After growing up in Beaconsfield, Ms Tinker moved to New Zealand about three years ago to live out her dream of becoming a zookeeper. She’s now a member of the ungulates team at the Auckland Zoo.
“I wake up every morning knowing I have the greatest job. Each day I get to work with animals and talk to visiting members of the public about how incredible these animals are,” Ms Tinker explained.
“We look after giraffes, zebras, nyala, waterbuck, southern white rhinoceros, guinea fowl and ostriches.”
But her true passion lies with the relatively unknown African bird.
“I love ostriches because we still don’t know everything about them,” she said.
“For example, ostriches can be seen spinning on the spot every now and then, almost like they are dancing, but scientifically we don’t know why they spin. They’re fascinating birds.”
The IUCN Red List of threatened species lists the Common Ostrich as a ‘least concern’, but the species is facing a decreasing population trend while the Somali Ostrich is listed as ‘vulnerable’, also facing decreasing population.
The main threats to ostriches include habitat destruction as well as being hunted for their feathers and skin.
Ms Tinker hopes her passion and enthusiasm for the ostrich will inspire others to become involved with the day and run their own events celebrating the animal all over the world.
“Just like humans, each ostrich is different. Every ostrich has their own characteristics and behaviours,” she explained.
“I hope zoos will use the day to highlight the ostrich, raise conservation awareness and use it to engage with the visiting members of public through keeper talks or animal encounters.”
Auckland Zoo posted about the day on their Facebook page: “World Ostrich Day was set up by our very own ungulates keeper and ostrich coordinator, Jade Tinker… She looks after our four female ostriches here at Auckland Zoo and helps educate our guests about this member of the ratite family, who also happen to share a relationship with the NZ kiwi!”
As for the next few years, Ms Tinker said she’ll continue to promote World Ostrich Day with the hope it’ll be celebrated globally.
“I hope to highlight the ostrich and the importance of conservation through human education. Every little bit helps.”
