John Ball Zoo introduces rescued pileated woodpecker to animal program

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – John Ball Zoo is introducing a new pileated woodpecker named Norman to their Ambassador Animal Plan.

The youthful pileated woodpecker was rescued by a rehabilitation veterinarian following the tree his nest lay in was slash down, and his leg was damaged, according to a July 27 information release from John Ball Zoo.

The veterinarian was ready to fix his leg and nurse him again to health and fitness. Norman is element of the most significant species of woodpecker in North The usa and was envisioned to return to the wild.

Having said that, specified how young he was when he was wounded, and the care necessary to maintenance his leg, the zoo claimed Norman was not capable to master how to be a wild woodpecker and could not be released in the wild.

John Ball Zoo’s Ambassador Animal Program is a collection of reptiles, insects, birds, and compact mammals who choose to participate in up-close ordeals with visitors at the zoo and in off-internet site Travel Zoo programs.

By way of these applications, their ambassador animals enable the zoo train the group about wildlife.

As at the moment the only acknowledged ambassador pileated woodpecker in the Affiliation of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), his caretakers are in a exclusive place to find out more about this species’ actions and heritage, and pioneer his position as an ambassador animal, performing intently with human beings, according to the news release.

“We have been functioning with Norman each day to improved fully grasp his behavior, and we keep on to discover new items every single working day,” said Erin Maloney, one particular of his primary trainers. “We’ve viewed him make wonderful development in his comfort and ease degree in new cases and have started taking him on ‘walks’ all over the zoo to fulfill guests.”

The pileated woodpecker can be uncovered in Canada, northwest regions of the U.S. and most places of the eastern U.S. Although their populations in the jap U.S. places have declined with the clearing of jap forests, the species has produced a gradual comeback in some regions due to the fact 1990.

“It’s really fascinating to have Norman in our system,” Maloney mentioned. “Pileated woodpeckers are native to West Michigan and can be heard in our backyards, but several men and women have noticed them up near. Looking at Norman is an further distinctive link for visitors.”

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