A CHILEAN flamingo egg has been successfully laid at a North-East wildlife centre - the first in seven years.

The egg appeared at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's (WWT) grounds in Washington, Wearside, and has since been carefully swapped for a clay dummy in an attempt to ensure its safety.

Staff will now anxiously wait to see whether the egg is fertile using a process known as candling, which involves shining a bright light through its shell to try to locate an embryo inside.

The egg's arrival marks the successful culmination of a pioneering two-year conservation breeding project, which involved the hand-rearing of flamingo chicks before their integration into the existing flock in order to encourage natural breeding.

The first five of these – Frankie, Nico, Phil, Flo and Fran – were introduced to the adult flock in May 2013.

The project involved the training of additional staff and volunteers to care for the 24 new chicks that were eventually introduced.

Gill Pipes, WWT Washington’s centre manager, said: “Conservation is not black and white and while an egg isn’t guaranteed to lead to a successful hatch or survival, this is a fantastic and hard-won achievement.

“It has been made possible by the amazing work of our dedicated staff and volunteers."

Captive animal manager Owen Joiner said: “By adding a further 24 chicks this April, we hoped to finally stimulate the adults into laying eggs, while at the same time increase the flock size and add young birds that would hopefully breed themselves in a few years’ time.

“And with the arrival of this egg, it would seem that our efforts have paid off.”