- A New York has received praise for their treatment of a baby vulture
- The Zoo in question is the Bronx Zoo
- They have been feeding a baby vulture with a hand puppet – but why?
Wholesome vibes everywhere! Yes, a New York Zoo is receiving praise for feeding a baby vulture with a hand puppet. Our hearts are almost as full as when we found out otters have a pocket to store their favorite rocks.
The Bronx Zoo has a very specific reason why they’re feeding the baby vulture with a hand puppet. Often, this is done to ensure that the animal doesn’t identify too closely with human handlers. In the wild, this could prove fatal for many animals.
Read more: A Snake Lands in Woman’s Margarita At Restaurant
Consider how hand-reared animals in captivity treat their handlers; they think they are their mothers. If mothers of those babies realize this, they’ll likely reject their offspring.
Find out what the zoo said here, and all about the cute little vulture chick.
What did the New York Zoo say about the baby vulture?
The Bronx Zoo posted an adorable photo of the king vulture chick on their Instagram. Also, they gave an insight into why they’re raising the baby vulture with a hand puppet feeder.
“The chick is being hand-raised using a hand puppet that helps prevent young birds from imprinting on humans, and ensures it grows into a healthy adult,” the Zoo stated in the post.
Also in the caption, they assured worried animal lovers that the guidance came from those working in the field, as well as zookeepers looking after baby animals.
Interestingly, artists in the zoo’s Exhibition and Graphic Arts Department designed the hand puppet.
There is a method to the madness; the black-colored hand puppet resembles a mother vulture. Keepers will disguise their other features to resemble the bird and will “mimic an adult bird”.
Previously, the zoo did this with raising Andean Condor chicks over 40 years ago.
Sweetly, the little chick is still nameless but has its own record, being the first to hatch there since the 1990s. The baby daddy is not far, though, as the father of the chick is a 55-year-old male also at the zoo.
As for the chick’s mother, we don’t know much. Possibly, the zoo may be keeping the chick separate from its mother to avoid neglect. King vultures are known to reject chicks, so hand-feeding is essential for survival and breeding.
“At this stage of development, our animal care staff are feeding the chick with the Bronx Zoo-made puppet once a day, and we are working to ensure it does not imprint on humans,” Bronx Zoo Curator of Ornithology Chuck Cerbini said in a statement.
