Fly Away

I was off-grounds when the excitement all happened.  When I got back to the Zoo from running errands, I was told I'd missed an escape.  It had already been resolved, the animal back in its enclosure.  Now, despite the fact that movies and TV might give the impression that zoos only exist to allow animals to escape from them, serving as a plot device (or for people to fall into exhibits), these occurrences are pretty uncommon.  So, with some curiosity, I went to the keeper involved and asked what I'd missed.

From her expression and response, I gathered that I was not the first or second... or twentieth... person that she'd had a similar conversation with today.

"It was not an escape," she replied, exasperation evident.  "It was just a fly off."

The incident in question involved a bird which was being trained for free-flight as part of education demos.  It's supposed to fly from the hand of one trainer to the hand of another trainer, usually some distance away, all without any restraining equipment, and all in the wide open outdoors.  These practices create an incredible experience for visitors, allow birds a lot of exercise and enrichment, and are all around wonderful.  They also scare the living hell out of me. 

That's because sometimes the bird doesn't come back.

In this case, the bird flew past the second trainer and landed in a nearby tree.  It sat there for a moment, during which, for lack of any other protocol, an escape was called.  Unlike a usual "escape," no additional staff were mobilized, no nets deployed, no other action was taken.  The keepers stayed with the bird and acted like this was a normal part of the routine.  The bird eventually agreed that it was.  It flew back down to them, and life resumed as normal.  By being calm and trusting the animal, and their own skills and relationships, the keepers were able to bring the bird back safe and sound.

A discussion was held afterwards, during which it was determined that no changes in the routine were needed.  Certainly there was no need to restrict the bird from future free-flights after this one incident.  It was felt that the occasional loss of control is just part of the equation when giving the birds this opportunity.  There is risk - that the bird could fly away, that a hawk could swoop down and grab it, than a sudden hurricane could blow it six counties over - but there is always some risk in doing anything with animals.  

We should plan for these possibilities - being selective in which birds are free-flown, being mindful of weather and other local conditions - to increase the likelihood of success.  That being said, the goal isn't to eliminate all risks.  Otherwise, we'd just encase the animals in bubble-wrap.  Instead, it's to maximize the quality of life that we are able to offer.

Sometimes, that means letting them take off on a wing and a prayer.