zooatlanta
February 12, 2026
Rose the red-tailed hawk, who many of you will remember seeing in the aviary next door to the World of Wild Theater presented by Georgia Natural Gas, gave us a wonderful opportunity to highlight not only a native species, but a memorable individual. Born in the wild, she was found with an eye injury which left her unable to see most things on her right side. Although she was successfully rehabilitated at a wildlife center and the injury healed, due to her restricted vision, she was deemed as non-releasable and thus required a permanent home in human care. We were proud to be Rose’s home from 2020 until earlier this week, when she passed away during a procedure involving anesthesia.
Rose was enormous, even for a female red-tailed hawk. She began working with one of our most skilled trainers right away, learning that flying to a glove meant she’d get a treat of what we call “meece’s pieces,” or little bits of mouse. Normally, when preparing birds to free-fly outdoors, we ensure they are first confident flying in multiple indoor locations. Rose, being the special flower that she was, showed us, however, that every day was a new day! We learned consistency was key.
Eventually, her ability to fly from one perch to another and to fly into a kennel gave us confidence to fly her outdoors. This is when we discovered that if there was anywhere to stop and take a break when flying from one perch to another, Rose would land, take a beat, then go to where we wanted her to be. After several successful sessions in an empty theater, she made her debut in a presentation and took a break on her way to her first perch … on the shoulder of a very surprised guest. She stepped up onto the glove right away, the guest had a great up-close encounter, and into the kennel she went – never to be asked to fly over humans again!
Rose learned to sit calmly on the glove and met hundreds of guests in encounters. She never stopped enjoying a flight to a trainer’s glove for a treat, and she definitely had preferred trainers. She was a very chatty bird with an intimidating persona, and all who worked with her had to work to win her over. We all enjoyed sharing her story and introducing her to Members and guests while encouraging locals to look for red-tailed hawks in their own neighborhoods.
The World of Wild Theater will be quieter without Rose, and we’ll miss this wonderful ambassador.
(Photo: Nasiha Khan)
