Help the Fresno Chaffee Zoo find their Harris’s hawk, Ripley
FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – After being chased off by other hawks, the Fresno Chaffee Zoo is asking for the public’s assistance in locating their very own Harris’s hawk, Ripley.
The Chaffee Zoo says Ripley is one of their free-flying birds featured in the Zoo’s Winged Wonders Bird Show.
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“All of the birds in our Winged Wonders Bird Show are free flying and work with our Zoological Care Teams voluntarily and choose to participate in the show every day,” said Fresno Chaffee Zoo General Curator Nicole Presley.
On Saturday, April 27, while participating in the daily bird show, Ripley wandered off into nearby trees where native red-tailed hawks were nesting. The native hawks then drove Ripley off zoo grounds until he was no longer visible.
“This was an extraordinarily rare occurrence where Ripley strayed into the territory of local red-tailed hawks that are nesting here,” said Presley.
Since his disappearance, a team has worked tirelessly to search for him as Ripley’s participation in the bird show for the past seven years has left an impact on the zoo.
“Throughout his time with our team, we have built a strong trusting relationship with Ripley, and he has become one of the Winged Wonder Bird Show’s most reliable team members,” Presley said.
Anyone seeking to aid in the search for Ripley should know that Harris’s Hawks are easily identified by their chestnut color and dark tails with white at the base and tip. Ripley also has an identification band on his left leg.
Anyone who believes they have spotted Ripley should not approach him but instead, immediately call the Fresno Chaffee Zoo’s 24-hour emergency hotline at 559-286-7403.
