Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens

November 04, 2011 - Jacksonville, Fl -

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens announced that its male white-backed African vulture took flight from his home in the giraffe habitat after a restrictive band on one of his wings broke late yesterday morning. Zoo employees tracked the bird to a tree on Zoo grounds where efforts to net him were unsuccessful.  After a short visit to the North Jacksonville Baptist Church, located next to the Zoo, he was last seen flying north until he was completely out of sight.

The Zoo has notified members of the Duval County Audubon Society, who have since posted the news on their website billboard. Birdwatchers in the Northeast Florida area are asked to notify Jacksonville Zoo by emailing (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) if they spot a white-backed vulture.  Although the bird is not aggressive and does not pose any threat to people or animals, he should not be approached by the public. 

Hodari is a great bird with a wonderful personality who came to the Zoo from the National Aviary in Pittsburgh in 2006.  He and his female companion, named Raja, have not produced any offspring to date.

“The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens animal staff are very fond of Hodari and are worried about his safety,” said Tony Vecchio, the Zoo’s Executive Director.  “We’re anxious to get him back home where he belongs.” 

For more than 96 years, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has been dedicated to inspiring discovery and appreciation of wildlife through innovative experience in a caring environment.  From its humble beginnings in 1914 with an animal collection that consisted of only one red deer fawn to the 92 acre Zoo today that features more than 1,800 rare and exotic animals and over 1,000 unique plant species, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has become one of the top zoos in the nation. Preservation of sustainable biodiversity is a key mission of the Zoo.  The Zoo is a non-profit organization and an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.  It is open year-round, seven-days-a-week, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and is located on Jacksonville’s north side at 370 Zoo Parkway, one-half mile east of I-95.  For more information, go to jacksonvillezoo.org.