JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When visitors go through the aviary at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, the lorikeets are making up for living behind the scenes over the past two months by sitting on people's shoulders and letting guests feed them, like they did before their exhibit burned down.
Zookeepers saw the entrance to the lorikeet exhibit burnt down when they came into work last December, just days before Christmas.
Despite the overnight fire, no birds were injured. But the fire shut down the aviary for more than two months.
Although there is no cause of the fire, the zoo was able to rebuild a new entrance.
And with the exhibit now reopened, guests can get up close and personal by feeding the birds.
“Look, we're a 100 year old zoo and what that means is we have some older buildings. And we don't know what caused it but the great thing is no animals were harmed and none of the birds left,” Curtis Dvorak, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens spokesperson, said.
For anyone who wants to see the lorikeets in action, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is open every day, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.