The Navajo Nation Zoo has recently agreed to relocate one of its 18 golden eagles housed at the 4,000-square-foot Eagle Aviary and Education Center in Window Rock to the Valley of the Sun.
The 25-year-old female golden eagle named Dragon will soon depart for the Phoenix Zoo and become a non-breeding companion for a male golden eagle, whose longtime mate died in 2022.
“Since these are pair-bonded birds, I’ve been looking for another,” said Bryan MacAulay, collection manager of birds at Phoenix Zoo. “It’s been a high priority item, and I’m thrilled to death that we’re able to get that taken care of.”
Upon her arrival, she’ll undergo a 30-day quarantine, followed by a “howdy.”
“For usually a day or two,” MacAulay explained, “which is basically where we introduce the new bird in a controlled environment, where they can see, smell, hear each other, but there’ll be a wire barrier, so they can’t harm each other.”
MacAulay is optimistic such partnerships between both zoos could happen more often.
“That’s something that we are more than happy to do,” he added. “If they need a companion, and we have an animal that would fit that need, I could very much see doing that kind of work with them.”
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Some traditional Indigenous stories can only be uttered during the wintertime. A member of the Gila River Indian Community has been workshopping a new collaboration with the Great Arizona Puppet Theater that’ll bring old creation tales to life on Saturday.
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A lawsuit has prevented some Arizona ranchers from using wells due to water rights claimed by the Gila River Indian Community.
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The Navajo Nation government recently came to an agreement with mining company Energy Fuels on the transport of uranium from a mine south of the Grand Canyon.
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A temporary exhibit featuring a little-known 1940s American art movement is nearing the end of its run at the Heard Museum in Phoenix. The show highlights the interconnection of Native and non-Native artists as they separately looked to redefine American and Native art.
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After the recent federal funding freeze, a coalition of tribal organizations is calling for confirmation that recent executive orders won’t harm programs and services their communities rely on.