Why a New York zoo is feeding a baby vulture with a hand puppet

A baby king vulture is being hand-raised by a puppet at the Bronx Zoo

Handlers at the Bronx Zoo are using an interesting technique to feed and care for a king vulture chick.

Why a New York zoo is feeding a baby vulture with a hand puppet (copy)

A New York zoo is hand-feeding a baby vulture with a realistic bird puppet to ensure it survives to maturity.

A zoo uses a puppet to feed a rare baby vulture

The first king vulture in 30 years was hatched in the Bronx Zoo. Zookeepers are using an interesting method to hand-raise the bird. Here's why.

Why a New York Zoo Is Raising a Rare King Vulture Chick With a Hand Puppet

At the Bronx Zoo, a baby king vulture is getting a head start in life with help from a hand puppet. But this isn’t just for show. The zoo’s ornithology team uses the puppet, which closely mimics an adult vulture’s look and movements, to ensure the chick doesn’t imprint on humans. King vultures are notorious for neglecting their young, so zookeepers often need to step in to feed hatchlings. But there’s a risk: birds that imprint on humans during …

Zoo Is Raising a King Vulture Chick —With a Puppet

A king vulture chick is being nursed by employees of the Bronx Zoo, though it will hopefully never know it. The chick, at risk of identifying with its human handlers, is being fed by a black-gloved human hand topped with a puppet handmade by zoo artists to resemble an adult...

NY zoo feeds baby vulture with a hand puppet

NEW YORK — A baby vulture at a New York zoo is being fed not by another bird but by hand puppet — a decades-old technique used to ensure the chick doesn't identify too closely with its human handlers.