KEEPERS at Chester Zoo have captured astonishing video footage of one of the world’s rarest ducks hatching from its egg.

The Baer’s pochard, a species which is on the brink of extinction, was spotted on a camera inside an incubator, determinedly making its way out into the world to take its very first breath.

Amy Vercoe, a lead bird keeper at the zoo, said: “These ducklings tend to hatch at night meaning we miss the big moment when they finally manage to push their way out.

“On this occasion, the action happened in the daytime and I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to catch the beginnings of the duckling’s new life on camera.

“Baer’s pochard are incredibly rare and there can’t be many people who have witnessed a hatching, so it was a real privilege to see it.”

The arrival of the duckling, as well as six others to successfully hatch at the zoo this year, has given a boost to the global population of Baer’s pochard.

Experts fear that just a few hundred remain in the wild as a result of hunting and the destruction of habitats surrounding lakes and rich aquatic meadows across Siberia and eastern Asia, while only approximately 250 are found in conservation institutions around the world.

Andrew Owen, curator of birds at Chester Zoo, said: “This extremely rare species of duck is on the very edge of extinction, so these new arrivals will make a vital difference to their ever-decreasing population numbers. 

"We’re working really hard with zoos in the UK and across Europe, as part of a breeding programme, to ensure that we have a viable captive population if their numbers continue to decline.

“Our team will be keeping a very close eye on the seven new ducklings and giving them a helping hand along the way to make sure that we get as many as possible through to adulthood, as every single one is absolutely critical to the long-term survival of the species.”

Baer’s pochard are listed by the International Union for the Conservation Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered as the species is undergoing an extremely rapid population decline.

Research has shown that where the ducks where once where found in abundance, they have now completely disappeared.