By Trish Svoboda/Images and video courtesy of Rolling Hills Zoo
Recently at Rolling Hills Zoo, one of its unofficial residents, a blue heron, was unable to fly after a suspected collision and was successfully treated and released.
Ryan VanZant, executive director of Rolling Hills Zoo, said that the bird was first noticed by the zoo’s maintenance team. “I got a phone call from our head of maintenance the morning that the bird was found, and he was kind of sitting by the perimeter fence of the zoo and not flying away as you would expect a wild bird to do,” said VanZant. “So, they worked with our teams here to safely collect the bird so that he could be transported to get the care that he needed.”
VanZant said the heron likely collided with power lines while flying to his favorite eating area due to low visibility from rain and fog that day.
The zoo transported the bird to the Hutchinson Zoo’s Cargill Wild Care Center for treatment. Caregivers had to exercise caution while collecting the bird, keeping their eyes protected from the heron’s sharp beak, which VanZant said is “used for stabbing,” and avoiding causing undue stress to the bird.
Staff at the care center determined the bird had sustained some tissue damage but luckily there were no broken bones. “When birds break a bone, it’s often not the best outcome because birds have hollow bones. When a bird bone breaks it’s almost like breaking a piece of bamboo and there’s splinters everywhere, so they are hard to get back in order.” After several weeks, the heron was returned to its favorite fishing spot at the zoo, where it immediately took flight. *video can be found below story*
“He just ran out and flew right away, didn’t even give us a thank you. Not even a fish offering.”
VanZant said the zoo has many unofficial visitors, including foxes, snakes, deer and even bald eagles. “We have a bald eagle that lives at the zoo, and he had a buddy last year that sat in the tree right next to him and they talked the day away,” he said. “Eagles are quite a chirpy species believe it or not.”
The zoo also hosts special events, including the only indoor holiday light show in Kansas, which opened last year. “Our whole museum, 65,000 square feet, is lit up by tens of thousands of lights. It’s a really fun evening and it’s free to the public.”
Visitors are welcome to see the heron fishing at the pond, and other wildlife throughout the year at Rolling Hills Zoo.
Rolling Hills Zoo Hours:
Peak-Season Hours: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
March 9, 2025 – November 1, 2025
Off-Season Hours: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
November 2, 2025 – March 7, 2026
Rolling Hills Zoo is closed only 4 days each year: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
