King vultures can neglect their chicks, so hand-feeding is necessary to ensure the baby survives, the Bronx Zoo said in a statement Tuesday. But to make sure it doesn’t imprint on humans, staff train the bird’s instincts onto a hand puppet that’s crafted to look like a real vulture.

The Bronx Zoo in New York announced the first king vulture chick to hatch at the facility in three decades is being hand-raised using a puppet made to look like a mother vulture.