The Cerrado Aviaries Exhibit was made possible by the Atascadero Lakeside Wine Festival Committee and the Friends of the Charles Paddock Zoo

ATASCADERO — A small but mighty group of local dignitaries, representatives from the Atascadero Lakeside Wine Festival Committee and members of the Friends of the Charles Paddock Zoo, gathered on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 3:30 p.m. The thing that brought them all together was the official ribbon cutting for the new Cerrado Aviaries Exhibit at the zoo. The exhibit features a mated pair of hyacinth macaws in one enclosure and a breeding pair of toco toucans in the other.

“The toucans are part of a bigger toco toucan management program with all zoos. So they came through the SSP, which is the Species Survival Program that’s managing and trying to increase numbers of animals in the world,” Zoo Director Dr. Cynthia Stringfield told Atascadero News at the ribbon cutting.

The hyacinth macaws were actually pets, but when the owner, who lived in San Francisco, passed away, all seven of her parrots ended up homeless, so the zoo stepped in and took them. The two beautiful blue birds are two of those.

“They also have a bigger ecosystem story to tell,” Stringfield added about both sets of birds. “These species are from an area in Brazil called the Cerrado biodiverse hotspot, so it’s the Savanna in Brazil. Their story is pretty interesting. The toco toucans eat the fruit of a tree called the manduvi tree, and they drop the seeds, and those trees are what are needed for hyacinth macaw nests. So it’s kind of a really cool story to be able to tell, too, about their interdependence in the wild.”

The zoo has had its new feathery friends on location for the last one to two years, depending on the birds. While the funding for the exhibit was being raised, they lived in great enclosures in the back of the zoo, which makes being able to share them with the public that much more special.

“I wanted to focus on this being another example of how volunteerism and volunteer groups in Atascadero how they do so much for our community. Because of the money raised by the Wine Festival Committee, Friends of the Charles Paddock Zoo, and others,” stated Mayor Charles Bourbeau at the grand opening. “Again, there’s so many things happening in Atascadero, good things, that wouldn’t happen if we didn’t have that volunteer spirit. So I just really appreciate that and everyone.

“Apparently, they also appreciate it,” he joked as the birds started squawking over him.

Funds for the exhibit were contributed by The Atascadero Lakeside Wine Festival Committee and Friends of the Charles Paddock Zoo, whose continuous support helps give the animals at the zoo full lives.

“The Atascadero Lakeside Wine Committee is a part of this exhibit, and every year, they raise money as part of the wine festival, and they always give $10,000 over to the zoo to create exhibits like this,” said Atascadero’s Director of Community Services & Promotions Terrie Banish. “So this represents 2023 and 2024, so $20,000 from the ALWFC. The other $5,000 came from the Friends of the Charles Paddock Zoo, and they do a ton of support on almost everything in the zoo that you see. They were able to help us with the rest of that funding. It’s just amazing when a community comes together like ours. It’s so special. It doesn’t happen everywhere.”

But that wasn’t all; the plants and landscaping materials were donated by local landscaper Olwyn Kingery Landscape Design, and the local Master Gardeners chapter put all of the landscaping in before the Cerrado Aviaries Exhibit opened.

“It was a really huge effort on many people’s parts to make what you see today,” added Dr. Stringfield.

On top of Mayor Bourbeau, City Councilmember Susan Funk, and Mayor Pro Tem Mark Dariz were also in attendance.

“I just want to thank the community and thank everyone involved for helping us make this happen,” Stringfield said. “It took a lot of support and effort, and we feel that increasing in the community, and it’s just a really exciting time.”

To find out more about the Charles Paddock Zoo or plan your visit to see the brightly colored macaws and toucans, go to charlespaddockzoo.org

Feature Image: Mayor Charles Bourbeau performs ribbon cutting for Charles Paddock Zoo’s new Cerrado Aviaries exhibit surrounded by ambassadors from the Atascadero Lakeside Wine Festival Committee, the Friends of the Charles Paddock Zoo, city officals, and Zoo Director Dr. Cynthia Stringfield (pictured to the right of Bourbeau). Photo by Rick Evans/ATN