Storm Aftermath: Endangered Hooded Vulture, 5 Exotic Birds Fled Oakland Zoo Through Torn Mesh.

An endangered hooded vulture and five other exotic birds fled the Oakland Zoo's aviary in San Francisco Bay in a storm aftermath. During the storm, a downed tree tore through the mesh enclosure.

However, the birds have remained on zoo property, and staff members were trying to lure them back on Thursday.

Aviary Break

According to zoo spokeswoman Erin Dogan, the male hooded vulture along with five other exotic birds, which include two pied crows and three superb starlings, flew out of the aviary at the Oakland Zoo on Tuesday amid a violent storm that battered the Bay Area.

However, the animals remained on the zoo's property, and according to Dogan, a group of at least 12 zoo employees equipped with binoculars, nets, and crates have already located the three starlings.

She continued by saying that it appears as though the birds prefer to stay close to the aviary and the zoo because they feel safe there.

Since Tuesday, the team has been trying to lure the vulture with dead rats and also the crows with mealworms so they can be captured and brought back to safety, she said.

All of the birds were born in captivity, so Dogan questioned whether the birds would know how to stay alive outside of the zoo. This means that all of these birds, according to her, were raised by humans, so they never had to rely on their own resources.

None of these birds are predatory birds, according to Dogon, and neither are they a threat to people or other animals, KTLA reports.

Update

No animals at the zoo were hurt by the fallen tree.

The zoo also stated that some areas of the African Savanna might be off-limits to visitors while they work to repair the aviary's damage.

Three superb starlings, which they claimed had not wandered far from the damaged aviary, were recovered, according to zoo officials, who confirmed this Thursday afternoon. At the zoo's veterinary clinic, the said birds were being examined. Workers at the zoo were still looking for the two pied crows and the endangered hooded vulture, CBS News reports.

Also Read: Vultures Avoid Giraffe Carcass After Lethal Lightning Strike: Are They Grossed Out? 

Endangered Hooded Vulture

The hooded vulture or Necrosyrtes monachus is an Old World vulture. It is a member of the Accipitriformes order, which also includes buzzards, buzzard-like birds, buzzards, and hawks. It is a small, scruffy-looking vulture with a downy nape and hind neck, bare crown, face, and foreneck, long, thin bill, and dark brown plumage. Typically, it has a light red color on its face.

According to Animalia, Typically, it scavenges domestic and wild animal carcasses. In some areas of The Gambia, the lower region of Casamance, and Guinea-Bissau, it is still a widespread species with a stable population; however, in other regions, such as Dakar, Senegal, population losses of more than 85% have been observed over the past 50 years.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated this species' conservation status as "critically endangered" in its most recent assessment. Threats include poisoning, hunting, habitat loss, and collisions with electrical infrastructure (2017). The Gambia's western region has the highest regional hooded vulture density at the moment.

Related Article: Mysterious Death of 40 Vultures Around North Carolina Water Tower Prompts Speculations: Poison or Avian Flu?