ROYAL OAK, Mich. A young turkey vulture was given a second chance after Detroit Zoological Society (DZS) staff rescued the bird found trapped in a stairwell on a golf course in Huntington Woods, zoo officials said Monday. Wild turkey vultures are often spotted near the habitat roosting and sharing food with zoo vultures. When the bird was well enough, it joined the other wild turkey vultures. One day, the bird was gone, and thats exactly what we wanted to happen.Approximately 25 wild turkey vultures linger around the zoo throughout the winter season. Van Dam said staff believes the birds parents frequent the zoo and we hope they have reunited.

An endangered Great Lakes piping plover surprised staff at the Detroit Zoo when it broke out of its shell. The eggs were taken to the University of Michigans Biological Station in Pellston, where the DZS leads an award-winning program to salvage eggs like these to bolster the population of Great Lakes piping plovers. Upon the eggs arrival, DZS staff were dismayed that they appeared to be unviable, as no movement was observed. After three days, staff spotted motion in one of the eggs, which continued to develop, but the chick struggled to hatch. In 2018, the USFWS honored DZS Curator of Birds Tom Schneider with the Recovery Champion Award, recognizing his leadership and the significant contributions made by the DZS in the recovery of Great Lakes piping plovers.