LONDON—In a feat attributed to the heat wave that swept across Europe, rare Andean flamingos at a wetlands reserve in Britain have laid eggs for the first time in 15 years. An Andean flamingo swaddles a surrogate Chilean flamingo chick, supplanted to replace its own infertile egg, in Slimbridge, England. The British conservation charity Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust says recent record-breaking high temperatures encouraged a rare flock of Andean flamingos to lay eggs for the first time since 2003. Both the Andean and Chilean flamingos are considered at risk of extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The heat wave broke in other parts of Europe, meanwhile, unleashing torrents of rain that caused flash flooding in France.

Source: thestar August 11, 2018 16:18 UTC