Honolulu Zoo reopens but is still searching for missing rare bird

By Star-Advertiser staff 

February 11, 2019

Updated February 11, 2019 5:55pm

One of the missing African ground hornbill birds is still on the loose. Martha, the 15-year-old female, returned to the zoo on Monday morning. Najuma, the 15-year-old male, remains at large.

The Honolulu Zoo in Waikiki reopened today at 11:15 a.m., city officials announced. The zoo closed Sunday at 11:35 a.m. due to falling branches.

Zoo officials, meanwhile, have captured one of two African ground hornbills that escaped from an enclosure at the zoo after a tree fell on it.

One of the hornbills is now within the zoo, according to officials, while the second one was recently sighted by a visitor at the Diamond Head visitor lookout, and described as heading up the mountain

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UPDATE

1 of 2 endangered African birds that escaped from zoo during storm is recaptured

February 10, 2019 at 12:54 PM HST - Updated February 11 at 6:00 PM

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Wanted: An endangered African ground hornbill named Najuma that escaped from the Honolulu Zoo over the weekend after a tree fell on its enclosure during strong winds.

Actually, two of the birds escaped, but one was recaptured Monday morning, lured back to its cage with food and its mate’s call.

The other bird is a 13-year-old male, zoo officials say, and is “very approachable.”

But please don’t approach it, they say. Instead, if you see it, call 911.

“The biggest fear is that we won’t retrieve him alive,” said Thomas Bojorquez, avian zookeeper at Honolulu Zoo.

In the hours after the escapes Sunday, one of the birds was reported to be heading towards the Ala Wai golf course, while the other was seen in Kapiolani Park — ironically perched on one of the century-old kiawe trees that was blown over earlier in the day.

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UPDATE

Where is Najuma the elusive African ground hornbill? Good question.

On Monday, one of the birds was seen on a tree at Kapiolani Park.

By Dillon Ancheta | February 13, 2019 at 6:46 PM HST - Updated February 13 at 6:46 PM

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Have you heard? The bird is the word.

It’s been four days since two exotic birds escaped the Honolulu Zoo.

One of the African ground hornbills has since returned, but the second one is still on the run.

Named Najuma, the bird’s jailbreak-like escape has kept zoo employees on edge over the last few days, and gripped the community in the ongoing bird saga.

Video of the attempted capture on Sunday has gone viral online (probably for reasons other than the actual bird sighting) — garnering more than 260,000 views.

Armed with nets and food, zoo employees tried to capture the bird at Kapiolani Park earlier in the week, but they were unsuccessful.

On Tuesday, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell tweeted photos of the bird nonchalantly chillin’ on the edge of a Diamond Head ridge.

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