The North Carolina Zoo is closingits aviary permenantly.
The high humidity indoor environment required for the exhibit had taken its toll on the 40-year-old structure, which was in need of significant repairs, zoo officials said Thursday.
All but a few of the 93 birds of 33 species, such as flamingos and parrots, will be relocated to other certified facilities.
"Probably the biggest thing we have to do is catch the birds in the aviary," said Debbie Zombeck with the North Carolina Zoo. "We have feed stations set up in what we call trap cage enclosures.. They’re maybe 12-by-12 feet in diameter and the birds are used to going in there to feed every day. And then we have a door that we can pull down real quickly when the right bird goes inside. And that’s how we trap them and then transport them down to one of our holding facilities".
With heavy hearts, the North Carolina Zoo announces the permanent closure of the Aviary habitat. The Aviary was built in the early 1980s and has housed at least 75 different species of birds in its lifetime. Read the Zoo's full announcement: https://t.co/yhDD2DBEfU pic.twitter.com/d42vY4EQB2
— North Carolina Zoo (@NCZoo) April 21, 2022
About 10 birds are staying, Zombeck said. Some will be relocated to the desert habitat at the zoo, and a few older birds will retire to the off-exhibit breeding facility.
The aviary has been closed since Jan. 24 as a precaution against the avian flu that’s been detected in wild birds and poultry in the state.
The habitat has also been home to 450 species of plants.
According to a news release, no zoo staff will lose their jobs, but some may be reassigned.
