- I'm Coyote Peterson and this is baby Toucan feeding time.
Watch this...
(bird squawking)
(energetic music)
(moves to bouncy music)
- [Voiceover] The Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary
has a very clear mission
when it comes to Costa Rica's wild animals
that are in need of help.
Rescue, rehabilitate and ultimately release them
back into their natural environment.
But what about the animals who cannot make a full recovery?
(bird squawking)
Located in the coastal town of Domincal,
Alturas also calls itself home
to nearly 50 permanent residents.
These animals cannot be released back into the wild
because of disability or severe over domestication.
And while some of these permanent residents
are covered in fur.
- It's sloth feeding time.
- [Voiceover] Many are actually of the feathered kind.
So this morning I will be sitting down for breakfast
with one of their newest additions, a baby toucan.
- This is the real Froot Loops right here,
this is fresh cut fruit
and what I'm about to do is feed it to a baby toucan.
It smells really good, this looks like something
that I would eat for breakfast.
So I have a feeling that this toucan
is absolutely gonna love it.
Oh boy, here he comes.
Look at that!
That is a baby toucan.
I have never seen one of these before.
That is so amazing, you look like a little dinosaur.
Look at that curious head.
Look what I've got.
Now if I was a mama toucan,
I would come in with some fruit just like this.
There you go.
He's eatin' the spoon.
Look at that beak, quite the chomper.
Here we go, coming in, coming in hot.
There we go.
And although it's a juvenile,
that beak could still give me a pretty good chomp
so I wanna keep my fingers away from there
that's why I'm using a spoon.
Here you go.
- [Voiceover] When fully grown,
the toucans bill can be nearly seven inches in length
and will continue to evolve in coloration
being a mix of red, orange and green.
- I'm just like a mama bird,
gotta get that way down in there.
Okay.
- [Voiceover] Have you ever fed a toucan before?
- I have never fed a toucan before.
There's a first time for everything.
Did you know that Froot Loops is actually my favorite cereal
and as a kid I used to love Toucan Sam.
So hanging out today with this baby toucan,
getting to feed it real fruit loops
is a pretty cool experience.
Oh, give me back the spoon!
He's tryna eat the whole spoon!
(bird squawking)
We've got all kinds of good stuff in here.
We've got cantaloupe and pineapple and banana.
(Coyote squawks)
There you go, you got some of it on your beak.
Look at those eyes, look at how big and buggy his eyes are.
And without the feathers fully developed on the neck
you can see the curve of that vertebrae.
Look at the feet.
You see that?
You know what it looks like,
reminds me of a baby pterodactyl.
- [Voiceover] These birds have
what is known as zygodactyl feet
with toe sets facing in opposite directions.
This foot structure, with two toes in the front
and two toes in the back,
allows them to easily maneuver
in the lush rain forest canopies.
- And a baby toucan of this size obviously up in the trees
it's very important that he uses these claws
to keep himself in the nest and on the tree branches.
Now this baby toucan eats four times a day
and quite a bit of food.
Oh I know, I hear you.
More, more, more, he says.
You okay, here you go.
It's always nice to have a friend
over for a breakfast conversation,
and right now we're talking about
what it's like to be a baby toucan.
It's a rough life if you fall out of the nest.
- [Voiceover] If a baby toucan falls from the nest
it's almost certain to be picked off by a predator.
However, in the case of this lucky little bird,
it was found by a human who did the right thing
and brought it to the sanctuary.
- Now hopefully this baby toucan
will be able to be rehabilitated
and eventually released back into the wild.
So we don't want it to become too acclimated to humans
but it is important that this bird
does eat several times a day to keep up its nourishment.
You are one sloppy eater, you know that?
- [Voiceover] He is a sloppy eater.
- I think you're getting more of this fruit
on the log than you are in your mouth.
(bird squawking)
Aw, look at his little tail.
Look at that little (mumbles)
Want some more?
Yes, that's a good breakfast isn't it.
This right here is the breakfast of champions.
Fruit for the Froot Loops toucan.
There you go.
Oh, it's like feeding a baby dinosaur.
(bouncy music)
(bird squawking)
- [Voiceover] Because this toucan
could not be returned to its nest,
it will be raised in captivity
and will become a permanent resident at Alturas.
And whether you are covered in fur or feathers
each and every member of this incredible family of animals
is living a happy and loved life.
How awesome is that?
Spending the morning feeding a baby toucan.
- I'm Coyote Peterson, be brave, stay wild
eat your breakfast, we'll see ya on the next adventure.
- [Voiceover] The Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary
is constantly welcoming new volunteers
to help with the rescue, rehabilitation
and release of Costa Rica's beautiful animals.
For more information on how
you can become a part of the team,
visit their website: alturaswildlifesanctuary.org.
If you thought feeding a baby toucan was cool,
check out the time I had
an apple eating contest with a cassowary.
And don't forget, subscribe to join me and the crew
on this season of Breaking Trail.
- Whoa, did you guys just see that?
- [Voiceover] I'm gonna say that was three seconds.
- That cassowary literally just swallowed that apple whole.
(animal howling)