MANHATTAN, April 20, 2021 – He was the “Diva” of Sunset Zoo according to the keepers who cared for him.
The big, boisterous American White Pelican named Milford - who swaggered around the pond like he owned the place for 18 years - died on April 9. His age was estimated at between 36 and 40 years, which is a very long life for his species.
“He was quite the Diva. The public used to love to watch the keepers try and feed him because it was like shooting into a big basketball hoop and it was so much fun,” said Savannah Brethauer, the head keeper at Sunset Zoo.
Pelicans are hard to come by at zoos because they are typically only brought to captivity if they are injured. Milford got his name from the place he was found injured, Milford State Park. Already an adult when he was hurt, he spent nearly a decade at the Clay Center Zoo and then went to the Milford Nature Center in Junction City for a short time. In 2003, he moved to Sunset Zoo, where he lived around the pond for the rest of his life, except for the one time he escaped.
Because Milford’s injuries prevented him from normal flight, the keepers never bothered to trim his wings until one day a year or so ago when they assume he caught a good gust of Kansas wind that lifted him outside the perimeter.
“We got a call from the police that there was a Pelican outside the Zoo,” Brethauer said laughing.
He was friendly and goofy but a bit vain, said Trevor Smith, the keeper who cared for him the last two years.
“Sometimes he would just fluff up as if to say, ‘Look at me,’” Smith said. “He just knew he was looking pretty good.”
Milford was such a picky eater that the keepers had to feed him three to five times a day to get enough fish in him to stay healthy.
“He was very good at spitting fish back at you. It was usually four or five fish he would spit back at you before he would start eating the fish,” Brethauer said.
Smith said Milford once spit a fish between the legs of the keeper. Another time he caught a fish in his bill, flipped it up in the air, and caught it.
He was elegant in the water and quite the man about town. At first, he took a liking to a female Black Necked Swan named Debbie. But that relationship soured and the Canada Goose, Lucy, became his longtime flame. Sunset Zoo didn’t have a male goose or a female pelican, so they bonded.
“They built a nest every year,” Brethauer said of the bird lovers. “He would share nesting duties. She would sit on the nest and then every couple of days, she would come off the nest and he would sit on the eggs. She would go down and eat and do her thing for a couple of days and then they would switch. He would help build the nest.”
The eggs never hatched because they weren’t fertilized but it was clear they cared for each other. In 2018, one keeper caught a photo during a freak snow shower of Milford hovering over Lucy as she sat on the nest, apparently to shield her from the inclement weather.
Milford’s remains were donated to the K-State Veterinary School for study. Brethauer said the vet school usually makes a footprint of the animal in clay to give to the zoo as a remembrance. Sunset Zoo hopes to get new Pelicans, though Milford was one of a kind.
“For a lot of people he was just a bird, but he left a big impact on us,” said Brethauer.
About Sunset Zoo
Home to over 200 amazing animals Manhattan's Sunset Zoo offers an up-close view to some of nature's most fascinating wonders, including tigers, snow leopards, flamingos, and a jumping, hooting array of primates! Visitors might even cross paths with one of the vibrant peacocks that roam freely throughout the 26-acre park.
Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquarium (AZA) in 1989, Sunset Zoo is committed to upholding the highest standards of animal care and to providing a fun, safe, and educational family experience. More about the AZA can be found here.
Sunset Zoo is open 360 days a year and is open from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm daily. Located at 2333 Oak Street, the Zoo is tucked inside the residential area near Manhattan High School’s West Campus.
Learn more by visiting online at SunsetZoo.com, by calling 785-587-2737, or by following the Zoo on social media!