On June 16, 1989, salmon-crested cockatoo King Tut officially retired from his longtime position as San Diego Zoo greeter by the Flamingo Lagoon. King Tut—

Kler came to the Zoo as an animal rescued in Papua New Guinea, by the Zoo team there to collect species from an area that was slated for deforestation. She was a spotted cuscus—a misleading name, since only the males are spotted—a tree-dwelling marsupial native to New Guinea, and she was a huge hit with the trainers and audiences at the Zoo's Animal Chit-Chat Show. Kler was one of only two cuscus in the U.S., and she had a great deal to teach San Diego Zoo visitors, since their first response was usually,

Loud, rare, impressive, and attention-worthy, Javan rhinoceros hornbills were a new species for the Zoological Society in 1989. One pair took up residence at the Zoo and one pair at the Wild Animal Park, and curators hoped for breeding of this endangered species. Visitors couldn't help but stop and marvel at the big birds, with their wingspan of almost four feet and their startling bills with the bright orange-red casque on top.

Good Memories and New Friends

One much-loved old friend retired in 1989, King Tut the salmon-crested cockatoo, while two brand-new species made their debut, Javan rhinoceros hornbills and a cuscus named Kler.

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1989

Expansion 1987 - 1996

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