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Parakeets, cockatiels will greet zoo patrons

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - The Washington Park Zoo will give visitors a taste of South Pacific with the expected June 1 opening of the Australian Aviary now under construction directly inside the entry gate.

Zoo guests will be able to get up close and personal with free-flying Australian grass parakeets, cockatiels and white egrets. Three cages will house cockatoos, who need to be separated from people because they bite, said Johnny Martinez, zoo director.

"It will be an interactive exhibit that allows people to move with the animals," he said. "We'll be selling seed sticks inside the exhibit for $1 to help with the costs."

The seed sticks look like popsicles for birds and should contribute to human and bird bonding. The birds will be visible through a wire mesh screen for those who prefer a less intimate experience.

The outer aviary door leads into the aviary to a 10-foot entryway, where black plastic hanging chains allow visitors to enter and keep the birds from flying out, Martinez said. A 6-foot-wide, S-shaped path will guide visitors inside the aviary.

The aviary was patterned after one at Henry Dorly Zoo in Omaha, Neb., where Martinez spent 16 years as general curator before taking over the Washington Park Zoo. He said he learned some lessons, including how to avoid "surprises" from hitting visitors by not providing overhead perches. Instead, the birds will be able to perch on dead fall trees along the periphery.

Prior to its transformation, the aviary exhibit had 10 tortoises and two cranes, Martinez said.

"It was a large exhibit that wasn't utilized to its full potential," said Martinez, who's all about maximizing use of the limited space.

The aviary birds are being kept in their winter home, inside the new zoo maintenance building, until their debut. The parakeet population is booming with the birth of two fledglings, one a 6-week-old, dull gray parakeet just taking shape, and the other a pink, naked newborn with tiny feathers just beginning to sprout. A half-dozen eggs have yet to hatch.

"The baby chicks will probably be more tame because they were born in captivity," Martinez said.

Sure to put on a show when transferred to the new aviary is Kona, the friendly umbrella cockatoo. He displayed a flare of plumage and danced up and down to the delight of kindergartners from South Haven Christian School in South Haven, Ind., who visited Friday.

Even on a chilly spring day, visitors were out enjoying the Washington Park Zoo. One of two mothers hoisting sons up to see the zebras said to Martinez, "The zoo looks wonderful. You guys are doing a great job."

Contact Laurie Wink at lwink@thenewsdispatch.com.

[Ang]

My daughter is starting to get real excited about coming home. She asked me this weekend if we could go to the zoo when we get home. I think we'll have to go to check out this new exhibit.