By Andy Dahn

BLOOMINGTON – Two new King Vultures are calling Miller Park Zoo home for the summer.

The females arrived from Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, South Carolina this week and will be on display near the Red Wolves exhibit. Riverbanks Zoo is currently under renovation and loaned the vultures to the zoo for the summer, something Director of Parks and Recreation Jay Tetzloff said is beneficial for everyone involved.

“It’s one of those things where we wanted to add diversity to the zoo and show all these different kinds of animals,” Tetzloff said. “And this kind of fits that mold. We’ve never had King Vultures at the zoo before. They’re a colorful vulture, they’re one of the few that are colorful.”

The vultures are vastly different than turkey vultures that the zoo has had in the past.

“Their heads are really colorful,” said Tetzloff. “Very bright, very vibrant colors of oranges and yellows and some reds. So it’ll be something that people typically have never seen before at our zoo.”

Tetzloff said the vultures contribute to a great summer of additions to the zoo, including two harbor seals that were added last week.

“All of these things contribute to what we want to be a great experience for our guests,” Tetzloff said. “We want people to get engaged with wildlife. That’s why we do all the things we’re doing. We want to try and conserve wildlife and all of their habitats that are out there.”

And the zoo isn’t stopping there. Tetzloff said another major announcement is expected this summer. The new and colorful vultures will be displayed near the Red Wolves throughout the summer.

Andy Dahn can be reached at [email protected].