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8 Cookie Cockatoo

ARTIST: Dino Crisanti
ARRIVAL/UNVEILED: 2017
MEDIUM: Bronze
LOCATION: In front of Reptiles and Birds

One of Brookfield Zoo’s smallest statues is perched on a park bench.
The life-sized work of art is a tribute to Cookie, a Major Mitchell’s
cockatoo. He arrived at the Zoo at the age of 1 from Taronga Zoo
in Australia in 1934, the year the Zoo opened to the public.
The friendly pink cockatoo charmed millions of guests during his
82 years at the Zoo and was one of the Zoo’s most popular residents.
The bronze likeness captures Cookie’s indomitable spirit—his crest
feathers are raised high in excitement as he clutches a clawful of green
beans, his favorite treat.
His birthday was celebrated each June and he attracted a loyal fan
base called “Cookie’s Groupies.” Guinness World Records 2014 certified
Cookie to be the oldest living parrot at any zoo in the world. He died
in 2016 at age 83; the average lifespan for a bird of his species is up to
60 years in a zoo setting.
Dino Crisanti is a local educator and artist who designs toys as well
as wildlife sculptures for zoos and museums. His other Brookfield Zoo
sculptures include a wallaby, a red panda, and three parakeets at Hamill
Family Wild Encounters.

9 Faces of the Wild

ARTISTS: Gillie and Marc Schattner
ARRIVAL/UNVEILED: 2023
MEDIUM: Bronze
LOCATION: Roosevelt Fountain

The latest artwork unveiled at Brookfield Zoo is a moving
exhibition created by world-renowned public artists Gillie
and Marc Schattner. Nine intricate sculptures represent the
magnificent heads of some of the most endangered animals
in the world: the northern white rhino, chimpanzee, addax,
western lowland gorilla, polar bear, red wolf, African forest elephant, hippopotamus, and lion.
The artists based their work on their own photographs and sketches of animals, which were
created during 15 years of travel. Their aim is to alert their audiences to an impending extinction
crisis and to help save species from extinction. Coming face to face with the sculptures and being
able to touch them foster a reverence and caring for the animals that transform passive individuals
into passionate advocates for animal conservation.
For a lasting impact, the sculptures are also educational and interactive. A QR code can be
scanned to provide information about each animal, threats to its survival, and the conservation work
being done to save it.

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