An extremely rare dinosaur bird patiently awaits a mate for life to save its entire kind.
14-year-old Abou, a female Shoebill, has recently arrived at Exmoor Zoo in England.
The unique-looking bird is just one of 11 shoebills currently living in a zoo around the world.
They typically only raise one cub, so combined with threats from climate change, they are a “massively endangered species,” according to the zoo.
The behavior of the animal shows how much Abou desires a partner: the lovesick bird greets its keepers with bows and spreading its wings – a common courtship ritual.
In England, Abou is now waiting for the breeding program to produce a male bird so the pair can produce much-needed offspring.
“There is huge interest in Abou and rightly so as she is beautiful to look at.” – Derek Gibson, Keeper at Exmoor Zoo
The problem is that there are only 3,000 to 5,000 Shoebills left in the wild – and that’s not exactly a big number.
Derek Gibson hopes interest in Abou will also raise awareness of the threats these species face around the world.