Zoo will share its feathered friends

The New York State Zoo at Thompson Park will share some of its newest animals with other facilities.

In the past three months, five ravens and five snowy owls were born at the zoo, and Executive Director John Scott Foster said the Watertown zoo will give some of the birds to other nature conservancies and zoos around the country.

"It's really rewarding, as a zoo and as staff at the zoo, to see ourselves working in cooperation with the larger zoo community," Mr. Foster said.

Mr. Foster said the ravens hatched May 17 to parents that have been at the zoo for two years. This was the first time the two have bred.

While one of the five new ravens will stay in Watertown, a pair will be sent to the Western North Carolina Nature Center, Asheville, N.C., where they will be the nature center's first ravens on display.

"We've been wanting to add some to our collection," said Chris S. Gentile, executive director of the nature center. "It's wonderful to work with the zoo at Thompson Park because they are one of the few that have native species."

The nature conservancy is similar to the zoo in that both showcase native species.

Another raven will go to Roger Williams Park Zoo, Providence, R.I., and one will be sent to Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, Va., where it will be trained for use in bird shows.

"Ravens are very smart birds," Mr. Foster said. "With a good trainer, they can be taught to do some pretty neat things."

The four ravens are expected to leave the zoo in the beginning of September, when the weather is a little cooler.

The Zoo at Thompson Park is the only zoo in the country to have hatched snowy owls this year, and Mr. Foster said it was a complete surprise.

"The female is 30 years old," Mr. Foster said. "We figured she would be a great display bird. We thought she was too old to breed."

Mr. Foster said the eggs were put in an incubator away from the zoo. The owlets began hatching in June and are being hand-reared by Rick West, Adams, a master falconer. The eggs were taken from the nest to keep the mother snowy owl in good health.

"Snowy owls normally nest in the tundra, way up north," said Susan M. Sabik, the zoo's general curator. "The weather this summer has been unusually hot and humid, and because she wasn't moving, she ran the risk of having flies lay eggs on her. We took her eggs away to prevent any health hazards."

Mother and babies are doing well, and several organizations have expressed interest in acquiring the owlets.

"We're still fielding calls about them," Ms. Sabik said. "We want to make sure they are sent to the proper and appropriate facilities."

Mr. Foster said the National Aviary, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Busch Gardens, Tampa, Fla., and the Wildlife Conservation Society will be some of the owlet recipients.

A departure date for the owlets has yet to be determined.

"We would also like to try and keep a couple of the snowy owls here," Mr. Foster said.