This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The moment was as much a celebration of Helen Dishaw as it was for Andy the Condor.
Tracy Aviary held a "bird day" party for the Andean Condor on Saturday, just before the snow started to fall. While the vulture turned 53, it was sort of a debut: It marked his first party to be held outside of his enclosure.
It was only a couple of months ago that Andy, with his razor-sharp beak, was allowed to wander among visitors.
And it was Dishaw who released him.
"I'm like his mom," she confessed. And like any beaming parent, she urged him to open his presents.
"What's this?" she asked, touching one of the wrapped boxes. Inside were bits of mice and cow heart. She laughed as he walked like a chicken toward them and buried his bald head into the feast.
Dishaw joined the aviary last January as the curator of bird training and education programs. Having always been a fan of vultures — she sang their praises Saturday to the dozen or so children in attendance, noting how they eliminate animal carcasses that would otherwise spread disease and smell — she made Andy her project.
Hatched at the San Diego Zoo and brought to the aviary at a year old, the 29-pound bird with white feathers encircling its neck like a collar has spent the past 52 years largely enclosed.
"I would really like to get that bird out of the cage. Will you give me a chance?" she recalls asking her boss.
There were risks: The Andean Condor is the largest type of vulture, and its role is to rip into flesh. But on Dishaw's birthday in June, she began by bringing him to the safe space between his enclosure and a guard fence.
September was the first time he left his enclosure and ventured into the aviary — after business hours.
That first trip out has been "one of the highlights of my career, seeing his enchantment with the world around him," said the 20-year veteran, who teared up as Andy wandered toward the trees and exhibits.
While she can't imagine the condor attacking anyone, she had to ensure he listens and pays attention to her by using praise and bits of flesh as rewards. By the end of November, he graduated to walking the aviary during visiting hours.
At his birthday party, as the condor spread his 9½-foot wings, a girl said, "Don't carry me off."
But the children relaxed as he opened his presents. "He was really big and he ate really fast it seemed," said 10-year-old Althea Deschenes, who confessed to still being frightened of the big bird.
But Dishaw says the "one-in-a-million bird" is a "gentle giant." Her ultimate goal is to see him participate in the aviary's summer free-flight bird show.
Turning to her staff while the condor sought his carrion at the party, Dishaw couldn't stop smiling. "This is like the best."
Tracy Aviary
Hours • 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.
Location • 589 E. 1300 South in the southwest corner of Liberty Park in Salt Lake City.
Cost • Adults $6; children ages 3-12 $5; children 2 and under free; teens age 13 and over $5.
New • The aviary recently opened a visitors education center. The 10,000-square-foot visitors center was built as part of the $19.6 million bond Salt Lake County voters approved 2008. It includes a gift shop and hosts indoor bird shows, classes for children and public lectures.
For more information • http://www.tracyaviary.org