Many of us know the struggle of trying for a baby and not being able to have one. Infertility has to be one of the most heart-breaking experiences that somebody could go through, especially when all you’ve dreamed about is being parents.
But it turns out that us humans aren’t the only ones who can go through the pain of not being able to have children. Two pelican parents had been trying to have their own little chicks for a total of 6 years- and sadly, it seemed like they were never going to become parents.
That was until someone in the rescue sanctuary where they lived had the sweet idea of presenting the two pelicans with their own adoptive egg. The couple looked after the egg perfectly, and when it hatched, they became the amazing parents that they’d always dreamed of being.
Mr. Percival the pelican and his partner live in Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue, a sanctuary in Australia. The couple had been nesting and caring for their eggs for over six years- but sadly, none of them ever hatched.
The workers at Twinnies had been keeping an eye on Mr Percival’s behavior, and they knew that he wanted to be a dad more than anything. Unfortunately, it looked as if that was not going to happen with the couple’s own eggs, so the staff decided to present them with a beautiful alternative.
“Mr. Percival has never given up trying to have a baby pelican chick,” Twinnies wrote on Facebook. “We felt so sorry for him as it’s so sad when he’s seen the others around him seeing baby pelicans. So we did this amazing thing for him as we wanted to make him really happy this time.”
In September, Mr Percival and his partner were presented with their very own adoptive egg, and they immediately took to it as if it was their own. The day the egg finally hatched was a special day for the two pelicans, and Mr Percival was completely overjoyed to finally become a dad.
“Mr. Percival was proud as punch,” Twinnies wrote on Facebook. “He made us cry. As you can tell, he and his partner are in love with their newborn pelican chick.”
Since the day of the birth, Mr Percival has been totally devoted to his chick, splitting feeding and nesting duties with his partner. Now that’s parenting done right!
“We are so proud of him as we can see the baby pelican chick is growing beautifully,” Twinnies wrote in a Facebook update. “Mr. Percival goes for a swim and catches little fish then he feeds his little one.”
Mr Percival has come a long way since he was first rescued, and his life has improved by the tenfold. He was first spotted as a young pelican on Chambers Island in Maroochydore, Queensland, where he would often become entangled in fishing lines and hooks. After he lost a wing, rescuers decided that it was safer to take the pelican to their sanctuary, and he now has a special bond with all of his carers.
“His behavior is just amazing,” Twinnies wrote on Facebook. “[He’s] been doing a lot of pelican talk to us, as he knows we’re so happy, too. This is true love for our Mr. Percival.”
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