Tiki is safe again.
The 2-year-old toucan who flew off from Flamingo Gardens on June 9, was spotted picking at a fruit tree on the property of a Plantation Acres homeowner who called the wildlife sanctuary.
"We're ecstatic about it," said Mike Ruggieri, animal care director at Flamingo Gardens. "We had been chasing this bird up and down the area. People called us to tell us they saw her, and we would get there and she would be gone."
Ruggieri said handlers saw Tiki twice since she went missing _ both times she was too far away to grab and resisted the lures of fresh fruit that were offered.
Tiki the toucan took off. Is she feasting on your mangoes?
But Don Harris managed to coax her into his home.
"He was cutting up little pieces of mango and tossing it to the bird, getting her used to being there and being fed," Ruggieri said. "Then he just kind of reached up and grabbed her in his hands."
"We can't believe we got her back," said Ruggieri.
Toucans are not native to South Florida, and Ruggieri had worried that Tiki would fall prey to an owl or hawk.
She appeared to be missing a few feathers but is otherwise healthy, Ruggieri said.
Flamingo Gardens will be taking extra steps to make sure Tiki doesn't get a chance to fly off again.
