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Clean 'bill' of health for 14 toucans after rescue at US border

Toucans sat on a branchWCS Bronx Zoo

A group of 14 toucans have been brought back to good health by a zoo in New York.

The young keel-billed toucans were saved at the United States-Mexico border where they were discovered hidden in a vehicle in poor conditions.

But, after months of specialist care at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo, the ten males and four females are now in much better shape.

As they can't go back to the wild, they are now going to be placed in new homes in education or breeding programmes.

Keel-billed toucanWCS Bronx Zoo

Keel-billed toucans come from the tropical rainforests of Mexico, Central America and parts of South America.

Despite being listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN red list, the birds are in demand in the global pet trade.

The Wildlife Conservation Society said the discovery of the toucans, hidden in a vehicle, "highlights the ongoing problem of illegal trade in live wildlife for the global pet trade."

It added this criminal activity, "harms species' populations in the wild, undermines the rule of law, and harms the conservation programs of countries where the species are native".

Keel-billed toucan facts

Keel-billed toucan eating papayaWCS Bronx Zoo

  • Keel-billed toucans mostly eat fruit, but they're also known to nibble insects, lizards, and tree frogs

  • They are the national bird of Belize, bordering Mexico and Guatemala on the eastern coast of Central America

  • Keel-billed toucans rarely fly long distances because they have heavy wings

  • Their big bills can grow to be a third of the size of their body, but they are surprisingly light as they are made of protein and supported by hollow bones