KANAB — In 2017, damage from Hurricane Maria caused the Mayagüez Zoo in Puerto Rico to close to the public. It stayed in operation with plans of reopening in the future; however, due to continued financial hardship and the lingering effects of the hurricane, the start of the pandemic in 2020 ultimately spelled the end for the zoo.
When the skeleton crew who remained behind were unable to handle the upkeep and care of the animals, the United States Justice Department stepped in. The over 300 animals at the zoo (and another 300 in a separate facility) needed help – they had to be moved to sanctuaries and rescues within the continental US, or the zoo would face animal welfare charges.
The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado was put in charge of coordinating the rescue effort. In need of parrot-savvy individuals to help with catching, loading, and rehoming of the many birds who lived in the zoo, they reached out to Foster Parrots – The New England Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary in Rhode Island, and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in southern Utah. Finally, in June, the teams gathered in Puerto Rico to begin the big move.
The early summer heat bore down on the team as they carefully made their way to the old rhino barn that would serve as their base of operations. The zoo had no water or electricity, and as they passed some of the enclosures, it only became clearer how much their help was needed.
A pair of Patagonian maras — a close relative to guinea pigs and their wonderfully oversized cousins, capybaras — who would be traveling to Best Friends had only a small, bare concrete pen with nowhere to hide and nothing to chew or graze on. Sadly, several of the animals hadn’t survived to see their rescuers, or the outside of the zoo.
Cody, a Moluccan cockatoo bound for Best Friends, was especially happy to greet his new visitors.
“He made himself known immediately with an enthusiastic ‘Hola!’” says Bradley Kay, supervisor of Wild Friends, Best Friends’s state and federally licensed wildlife rehabilitation and education center. “As soon as I offered him my arm, he stepped onto it and melted against my chest.”
It would take two full days under the hot sun to gather them all for their early morning flights the following two days. There were five baby quaker parrots who would be traveling to Best Friends.
Now, a month after their long trip from Puerto Rico, our new feathered (and furred) friends are settling in spectacularly. The maras are enjoying a spacious enclosure with huts to hide in, toys to chew, plenty of healthy food to fill their bellies, and even a sandbox to dig, roll, and play in. They’re still a little shy and unsure of the new smells and sounds all around them, but now they have all the time and space they need to get comfortable.
At Parrot Garden, the newcomers are causing quite a stir. Cody and a second cockatoo, Lolita, are proving to be quite the gregarious greeters, always ready with a hearty “hola!” when they have visitors. The baby quakers (Harry, Joe, Tayler, Jake, and Tom, all named after Taylor Swift exes), meanwhile, are especially snuggly.
Getting the animals out of the shut-down zoo was no easy feat – it took hours of teamwork and coordination in the heat and in more-than-tricky conditions while dealing with last-minute surprises and changes. But after all of it, with parrots and maras safe and sound, blossoming brightly in their new surroundings, there’s no question that it was worth it.
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 5001 Angel Canyon Road in Kanab. For more information, visit bestfriends.org or call (435) 688-2327.
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