Pirates coming to the Birmingham Zoo

The Birmingham Zoo will welcome a new attraction this spring, but they aren’t animals — they’re pirates.

The animatronic pirates, which are moving from the Columbus Zoo, will be placed along the railroad tracks thanks to the help of their sponsors, Shipt and DC Pest Control, and help promote water conservation, said Kerry Graves, vice president of sales and marketing for the Birmingham Zoo. 

“The pirates are going to come in, and we’re going to use them to give the message of what people can do to stop negligent use of water,” he said.

With programmable messages, Graves said the pirates can provide a narrative to guests on how to save water while they’re on the train, which coincides with the zoo’s water conservation mission. And, he said, the pirates are made to be kid-friendly. 

“Pirates can be scary, but we’ve set this up in such a way that there’s a little comedic factor with some of them,” he said. “And we’ve toned it down with some of their looks.” 

Because of their proximity to the train, Graves said the pirates will help draw more attention to the ride as well as the zoo’s efforts to promote proper water usage.

“It’s basically an enhancement to the train ride,” he said. “At least we can accomplish two tasks with one pirate ship.”

With a tentative reveal date of May 5, the zoo officials said they hope to add more pirate-themed activities, such as movie nights or pirates-and-parrots programs, to accompany their new attraction. 

Dress like a pirate for Parrots and Pirates June 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Birmingham Zoo. To learn more, go to birminghamzoo.com.