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Endangered Hooded Vulture Escapes From Zoo Aviary

Written by Associated PressPublished Mar. 23, 2023 • 3:07pm
An endangered hooded vulture named Oliver escaped from the Oakland zoo after a massive tree fell on its aviary during heavy rain and wind following a storm on Tuesday March 21, 2023. | Courtesy Oakland Zoo

An endangered hooded vulture escaped from a zoo aviary in the San Francisco Bay Area that was destroyed after a massive tree fell on it during a storm. But the bird has remained on zoo grounds, and officials were working Thursday to entice it back.

The male hooded vulture and five other exotic birds, including two pied crows and three superb starlings, flew out from the aviary at the Oakland Zoo on Tuesday amid a wind-packed storm that pummeled the Bay Area, zoo spokeswoman Erin Dogan said.

But the birds stayed on zoo grounds, and a team of at least 12 zoo workers armed with binoculars, nets and crates has already recovered the three starlings, Dogan said.

The Oakland Zoo's aviary was damaged in a storm on March 22, 2023. | Courtesy Oakland Zoo

"They are choosing to stay near the zoo and near the aviary because it seems that's where they feel safe," she said.

The team has been working since Tuesday to entice the vulture with dead rats and the crows with mealworms to trap them and bring them back to safety, she said.

All the birds hatched in captivity, and it's not clear if they would know how to survive outside the zoo, Dogan said.

READ MORE: Elephants in US Zoos? Without Breeding, Future Is Uncertain

"These are all birds that were raised in human care, so they haven't had to fend for themselves," she said.

None of these birds are birds of prey, and they are not a threat to other animals or people, Dogan said.

Questions, comments or concerns about this article may be sent to info@sfstandard.com


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