Abilene Zoo rescues another bald eagle; attendance strong, Dia de los Muertos weekend planned

Jesse Podbaum, director of the Abilene Zoo, told the board the zoo recently accepted another bald eagle that had been taken into custody by Texas Parks and Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife because the bird had been held without appropriate permitting.

Podbaum said the rescued bird is imprinted on humans and will serve as an ambassador bird in educational programs. “This particular bird was rescued by Texas Parks and Wildlife as well as, US Fish and Wildlife. Somebody had it illegally, they did not have the appropriate permitting... this bird was imprinted to humans, so now it can be an ambassador bird moving forward,” he said. He added that two other bald eagles already at the zoo had previously been rehabilitated and deemed non‑releasable.

Podbaum also updated the board on attendance for recent zoo weekends: he said the zoo had about 6,200 guests on the first weekend of the season, about 8,500 guests the last weekend, and expected roughly 8,500 for the upcoming weekend. He credited new parking capacity (including AYSA overflow) with allowing those crowd levels without parking on the lawn.

The zoo director said the zoo will add a Dia de los Muertos weekend in November featuring mariachi bands, folkloric dancers and an altar where visitors can honor past pets and loved ones. Podbaum invited board members to attend and said the programming is intended to reflect staff cultural backgrounds and community interest.

No animal health or legal issues beyond standard federal permitting and non‑releasable status were reported.