Although the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo remains closed to the public, at least for this week, the animals continue to receive food and attention from the zookeepers as usual and work is still being done on the grounds.

Ashley Burdick, curator and zoo supervisor, said the Parks Department has been working to finish the outdoor portion of the new parrot enclosure. When finished, it will house one Blue and Gold Macaw, one Sulfur Crested Cockatoo, two Green-cheeked Amazons and one Orange-winged Amazon.

Burdick said they hope to have the project finished by the time the zoo opens again so everyone will be able to see the parrots. As of Thursday morning, there was still no word on when the zoo will reopen.

“The Amazon parrots we have had for several years,” Burdick said, adding they lived in a building located between the leopard exhibit and the old tiger yard. “Rudy the macaw was living in the Herp House before the new building was finished and Monte the cockatoo lived off-exhibit. They all moved into the new building just over a year ago. Rudy and Monte came from the Larned Bird Program after they had to end the program due to budget cuts and changes within their facility.” 

For several years, the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo and Larned Correctional Mental Health Facility offered the Birds Befriended Program, which allowed inmates with good behavior to care for exotic birds such as parrots and cockatoos that were former pets needing new homes. Funding cuts at the state level forced the program to end in 2017. The program started in 2006 when Mike Cargill was the zoo supervisor. Under the program, birds received one-on-one socialization, with a bird and its cage moving into an inmate’s living quarters.

The “Herp House” mentioned by Burdick is the reptile building. “Herp” refers to herpetology, the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and reptiles.

See more zoo photos and videos on the Great Bend-Brit Spaugh Zoo Facebook page.