Endangered Species In Spotlight At Denver Zoo
DENVER (CBS4)- Friday is Endangered Species Day at the Denver Zoo where they will be raising awareness about wild animals that are endangered of becoming extinct and why.
All day Friday handlers will be stationed at exhibits throughout the zoo showing, talking and educating visitors about Endangered Species Day. Those events continue throughout the weekend.
"We are having a fun weekend here highlighting endangered species like this African Wild Dog. We have talks and activities all weekend long, highlighting birds such as this condor. It's one of the active bird programs we have here at the zoo. We have a pair of birds produce four offspring in the last five years. Two of those offspring have been released into the Andes. We're trying to capture the vultures and put GPS transmitters on those birds to monitor their movements. We have an active research program in Mongolia," said Denver Zoo Bird Curator John Azua.
Azua also said there are presentations on how to care for an endangered bird like the Andean Condor.
"Occasionally every year we end up handling these birds for exams. It takes around two or three people to handle these large birds. They have a strong neck so it takes one person to handle the body and at least one person to handle the neck. That strong neck helps in eating and carrying bodies. It's a handful with the staff," said Azua.
LINK: denverzoo.org
