The Bronx Zoo has unveiled its secret weapon for hand-raising a rare king vulture chick: a strikingly lifelike puppet modeled after a vulture mom. Wildlife conservation meets puppet show as keepers swap feathers for felt to nurture the next generation.

The Bronx Zoo’s puppet-feeding method draws on decades-old avian conservation tactics—ornithologists there first used “condor puppets” in the 1980s. Now, masked keepers and their vulture puppets offer hope for endangered species, a real-world wildlife rescue story.