Escaped birds captured and return to Roger Williams Park Zoo.
PROVIDENCE − Blueberries were key in getting Chip, a tropical bird about the size of a chicken, out of a tree and back home to Roger Williams Park Zoo.
After flying out of the zoo’s Rainforest exhibit with his father, Monster, during a storm last month, Chip, a blue-throated piping guan, spent more than a week in the park and surrounding neighborhoods before a zookeeper was able to coax him out of a tree in Cranston Saturday with a fruity treat, according to Jenny Theuman, the zoo’s animal care manager.
“He was very excited” about the blueberries, Theuman said.
With Monster’s return last Wednesday, Theuman and other staff members are relieved and happy knowing both birds are back in the safety of the zoo. She didn’t sleep much last week.
“It was stressful,” Theuman said. “Our job is to take care of them.”
With the birds on the loose, zoo staff worried when it rained, got windy and when the temperature dropped below 60 degrees. They worried that the birds could become victims of predators like coyotes, foxes and cats.
“They don’t know to be afraid of a predator,” Theuman said.
Chip is less than a year old, having hatched at the Providence Zoo. Monster, 16, is a little more worldly, having lived in other zoos, Theuman said.
Did the birds eat?
In the wilds of Providence and Cranston, the free birds ate leaves, bugs and any fruit they could find, according to Theuman. Zoo staff was able to keep tabs on them because so many residents reported sightings, she said.
“We observed them eating in trees,” Theuman said.
Luring the birds out of their comfort zone in the trees wasn’t so easy.
Although both birds lost some weight, they appear to be in good health, according to Theuman. Veterinarians are checking to see if they picked up any illnesses.
Theuman attributes their escape to curiosity and typical bird behavior. They flew out of the Rainforest exhibit after a storm that brought hail, as well as thunder and lightning forced zoo guests and staff to seek shelter indoors. When the large group left, a door stayed open long enough for the birds to move toward the brightness outside, Theuman said.
“It was opportunistic, and curiosity got the best of them,” Theuman said. “All birds are, sort of, attracted to light.”
She said, “We’re just so, so, so happy they’re home.”
