Celebrating Cecil!

You’re invited to the biggest party of the year! On August 24, the Bird Team will be celebrating a very special day – Cecil’s 40^th hatch-day! If you’ve never had the opportunity to meet him, Cecil is our beloved double-wattled cassowary. Double-wattled cassowaries, also known as the southern cassowary, live on average to be 30 years old in human care. Reaching well above this average, Cecil is the oldest double-wattled cassowary in the United States!  

You may be wondering how one throws an epic hatch-day bash for the oldest cassowary in the U.S. The answer is quite simple … with the help of a little watermelon, of course! Being mostly sugar and water, watermelon is an exclusive treat that is reserved for special days such as this. Watermelon isn’t far off from the items cassowaries would eat in the rainforest. Cassowaries are frugivores, meaning they forage mostly on fruit. Frugivores play an extremely important role in their environment by dispersing seeds in their self-made fertilizer packets (AKA poop)!  

Layered with other delicacies such as grapes, oranges and apples, our crafty Bird Team will put together a watermelon cake only found in a cassowary’s dreams. You won’t want to miss this old man enjoy his hatch-day cake! Be sure to stop by Cecil’s habitat on the 24^th to wish him a happy hatch-day and to check out all the hatch-day festivities! Special events will include a cassowary coloring station, a hatch-day banner for all to sign, and Cassowary Keeper Talks throughout the day! 
Kelsey K.
Keeper I, Birds