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 early development may never behave normally around their own species. That’s why zookeepers are using a Bronx Zoo-made puppet to deliver meals while keeping their human faces out of sight.

“At this stage of development, our animal care staff are feeding the chick with the Bronx Zoo-made puppet once a day and we are working to ensure it does not imprint on humans,” said Chuck Cerbini, Curator of Ornithology, in a statement.

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Footage released by the zoo shows a staff member’s arm wrapped in black fabric while the puppet’s beak gently delivers food to the chick. Meanwhile, an adult king vulture remains nearby in a separate enclosure, allowing the chick to observe natural behaviors from a safe distance.

The Bronx Zoo has been a leader in puppet-feeding techniques for over 40 years, first using the method to rear Andean condor chicks that were later released into the wild. The approach has also been critical in conservation efforts for the critically endangered California condor.

This particular chick—the first king vulture hatched at the Bronx Zoo since the 1990s—is genetically important. Its father, now 55 years old, has only one other offspring. Protecting and passing on his rare genetics is a priority for the zoo’s breeding program.

“It is a good example of the extent we go to ensure the health of individual animals and of species’ populations,” the zoo stated.

Once the chick is older, it will be introduced to others of its kind. Until then, every feeding, movement, and sound is designed to mirror the experience of being nurtured by a real vulture parent. For now, the puppet plays parent, passing along meals while keeping the human world at arm’s length.