Riverbanks spreads its wings with a new arrival
October 28, 2024
Riverbanks Zoo and Garden Celebrates Egg-Citing News
A Hatching 12 Years in the Making Delights Zoo Staff
Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is flying high after a new chick has emerged to join the Zoo’s residents. The award-winning bird team at Riverbanks hatched a Toco toucan for the first time in over a decade. New toucan parents, Ramsay and Dora, came to Riverbanks in July 2018 and January 2019 respectively. They were introduced in June of 2019 and the bird team has been hoping for a chick ever since. Riverbanks Bird Keeper, Amy Gooding says, “I always hoped this day would come, but honestly didn’t think it would. I screamed for joy when I found out we had a fertile egg, and now to see this little guy hopping around…it’s why I got into this field.”
The new toucan chick has graduated from hand rearing and is in the Bird Room behind the scenes in our Bird Conservation Center for the fledging stage, when it learns to fly and eat on its own. Soon a feather will be tested to determine the gender of the new chick. Guests can plan to see the chick on exhibit in the spring of 2025. In the meantime, Ramsay and Dora will be in their backstage habitat where keepers have added more private nesting areas to create an atmosphere to spark more breeding opportunities. Riverbanks has another pair of adult Toco toucans as well. They will also remain off exhibit in hopes of replicating the success of the first pair.
Click on the images below to get a better look.
The Zoo’s avian program is nationally recognized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden received the Significant Achievement Award for Captive Propagation of the Toco Toucan from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in 1978. The Zoo was honored with the prestigious Edward H. Bean Award for Long-term Propagation, Program for Ramphastids (Toucans) in 1998. Riverbanks received another Significant Achievement Award in Exhibits for its Avian Program in 2002. Most recently, Riverbanks twice received the AZA Avian Scientific Advisory Group’s Plume award, recognizing the best in avian care, in 2021 and 2023.
About Riverbanks Zoo and Garden
Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is home to more than 3,000 magnificent and fascinating animals and one of America’s best public gardens. The Zoo opened on April 25, 1974, and for five decades, has connected individuals, families and school children with the natural world. Riverbanks is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and is recognized as a global leader in animal care and welfare, education, recreation, science and wildlife conservation. It is the mission of the Zoo and Garden to create meaningful connections and inspire actions that will have a lasting impact on wildlife and wild places. For more information, visit riverbanks.org.
