Bana the red-tailed cockatoo (perched on the shoulder of education guide Joshua Foster) is one of many animals you can meet as part of the National Zoo and Aquarium’s programs. Photo: Claire Fenwicke.
If you’ve received a friendly screech while walking past the National Zoo and Aquarium’s aviary, chances are you’ve just met Bana.
The red-tailed black cockatoo is one of several residents in the aviary which showcases some of Australia’s threatened species.
Birds and Natives keeper Mikaila Senam said Bana and his female friend Kambi came to the zoo after being rehabilitated by wildlife carers.
“Kambi [was found] as a chick without a parent, so she was hand raised and lived in care for a few years,” she said.
“[As for] Bana, they assumed he was an escaped pet, so he was already used to inside life and was not great at being out in the wild.”
Both serve as ambassadors for their species and may even contribute to the survival of the red-tailed black cockatoo.
“We hope one day they will have babies,” Mikaila said.
“Kambi’s three years older than Bana, she doesn’t currently love him.
“We’re hoping they will bond enough to then be able to be a breeding pair, but at the moment they’re not quite there with their relationship.
“Bana’s maybe a little bit too immature for real love.”
Tawny frogmouths, eastern bettongs, galahs, brown-capped emerald doves, superb parrots, bush-stone curlews and an eastern whipbird also call the aviary home.
You can meet them as part of the Zoocation program which runs in the school holidays for primary-aged children.
“[The kids] come in, they get to sit on the stairs, and we put on a training session for them,” education guide Joshua Foster said.
“The cockatoos come down, the galahs come down, the curlews come over for some mealworms, and they get to learn about all these beautiful birds and see how they can help them in the wild.”
You can get an even closer look as part of the Junior Zookeeper Program and see all the “nitty gritty stuff” it takes to work behind the scenes.
Joshua said many people didn’t realise zookeepers spent a lot of their time cleaning.
“As a zookeeper, you spend a lot of your time cleaning poop,” he said.
“[People] think it’s a lot of cuddling animals, but being a zookeeper, you have to do many different things. Be a nutritionist, be a vet nurse, you have to administer drugs, you have to prepare their food, you have to make sure they’re all healthy.”
It’s hoped these educational experiences will help more people learn about the animals, and the need to protect them and the habitats they depend on to survive.
The National Zoo and Aquarium is open every day, apart from Christmas Day, from 9:30 am to 5 pm.
The Zoocation Program is an all-day school holiday care program and bookings are required.
