Incubation of special eggs at the Park

Seaview Wildlife Encounter has its own incubation house where eggs from rare and endangered species of birds are hatched and the young are cared for in their first few days of life. Incubators are used to replicate the conditions of natural incubation as closely as possible. Temperatures are maintained at around 40 degrees C and humidity levels are kept high (over 85%). The incubators automatically turn the eggs on their long axis at intervals throughout the day - hatching does not occur without some amount of egg rotation. The growing embryos need oxygen and give off carbon dioxide. This takes place with hot air rising in the incubator (as natural convection) – removing carbon dioxide through air holes in the top of the machine and drawing in oxygen from below.