'Famous' Sarasota Jungle Gardens Cockatoo Turns 75

Twice a day, Frosty performs his bicycle, unicycle and scooter act for audiences at . Visitors are quite impressed, especially when they discover that Frosty, a Greater Sulfur-Crested Cockatoo who turns 75 this year, has experienced an adventure-filled life that has included celebrity, travel and even incarceration, a news release said.

During the 1960s, Frosty appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in various bird acts on several different occasions. According to the release, he shared the stage with many notables including Shari Lewis, Anita Bryant, The Baird Puppets, David Seville and the Chipmunks and Charleton Heston. Along with his fellow cockatoos, Frosty’s repertoire included comedic sketches, musical reviews and cycling performances.

Following his tenure on the Ed Sullivan Show, Frosty and several other cockatoos were purchased by California’s State Prison for Men in Chino, Calif. The birds were used to teach inmates patience, caring, and responsibility, the release said. When the program was discontinued in 1971, Sarasota Jungle Gardens’ owner Arthur Allyn purchased them and relocated them to the Florida attraction in 1972.