Birds return to open outdoor habitats at Kansas City Zoo

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The birds are back!

The Kansas City Zoo has been closely monitoring the avian influenza outbreak for the past few months. In March, the birds that could have had direct contact with wild waterfowl were relocated to protected areas.

Now, the zoo says they have been given the all-clear to return to their open outdoor habitats.

The zoo says that although various strains of avian influenza are present year-round, the last time domestic poultry was affected in Missouri was on April 6.

Now the outbreak is moving north, out of our area, due to the birds migrating for spring.

Despite that, the zoo’s team is going to keep an eye on the situation.

“The only birds that won’t be returning for a bit are the trumpeter swans, who are sitting on eggs behind the scenes,” the zoo notes. “The swans will return to their habitat near the front gate once their eggs have hatched.”

To learn more or plan a trip to the zoo, check out their website.

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