New macaws delight zoo visitors
MAYOR Brad Carter was promised he wouldn't get bitten by one of Rockhampton Zoo's newest feathered residents when it flew to rest on his shoulder for a photo.
Two blue and gold macaws named Jimmy and Geanie were officially out on display for the public at the zoo yesterday.
One of the two cheeky parrots managed to keep its feathers down for the duration of the photo with Cr Carter.
Nearby zoo resident and regular visitor Jessica Wood, who was at the release, took 15-month-old daughter Mia to the zoo twice a week.
Since moving to Rockhampton from Gracemere almost four years ago, she she "pretty much knows where everything is".
"I just live down the street so I bring bub here most times ... she loves the birds," she said.
"I have seen drastic improvements and developments over the time I have been coming here. There are lots of new animals that weren't here before."
Jimmy and Geanie were gifted to the zoo by Yeppoon bird enthusiast Lauri Ward.
The feathery companions will be on a specialised diet and receive two feeds a day.
They will also receive round-the-clock care from experienced bird staff.
