Long-lived member of the vulnerable species was coaxed into reproducing by her zookeeper and eventually hatched eight chicks
A great, but odd, love story has come to an end.
Walnut, a white-naped crane and internet celebrity, has died at the age of 42. She is survived by eight chicks, the loving staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, and by Chris Crowe – a human zookeeper whom Walnut regarded as her proxy mate for nearly 20 years.
“Walnut was a unique individual with a vivacious personality,” Crowe said in a statement released by the zoo. “I’ll always be grateful for her bond with me.”
The tale dates back to the bird’s 2004 arrival at the institute’s campus in Front Royal, Virginia.
If anyone else was curious:
“Man grooms bird, gains trust, impregnates without consent.”
Uhmm…she flapped around him excitedly in a half circle. That’s positive (bird) consent
Honestly birds like the various bird of paradise varieties should be the poster people for positive consent
Zoo visitors however said that the enthusiastic and uninhibited nature of their sex life certainly implied consent, even if the bird was unable to vocalise this.
Tale as old as time.
Boy meets bird. They fall in love. Save a species on the brink of extinction.