30 Black Left.
In my last post (Happy Birthday, Flamingos!), I mentioned that our oldest female Caribbean flamingo, 30 Black Left, has a unique story. (Remember, we refer to the flamingos by their ID band’s number, color, and placement on the leg.) She hatched right here at the San Diego Zoo on June 23, 1959, making her 52 years old. Her reproductive history is a little unclear prior to 2005, but I can tell you something that makes her extra special, besides being the oldest female—almost every year she lays the first egg of the season! The exceptions are in 2007, when she laid the third egg of the season (but it was the first to hatch a chick that year!), and in 2008, and I’ll tell you why in just a bit.
Since 2005, she has parented six chicks with the same male (26 White Right). This male is only 19 years old; he hatched at SeaWorld San Diego on June 1, 1992, and came to us in 1994. As with the oldest male in our flock (4 Green Right), they have one offspring who was hand raised and is currently residing in the Zoo’s Urban Jungle. If you participate in our Backstage Pass adventure and get to hand feed the flamingos, look for 246 White Right; he is their son, hatched in 2009. 30 Black Left and her mate are also internationally represented, having both their chicks from 2006 and 2007 shipped to the Emperor Valley Zoo in Trinidad in early March. Currently, they are incubating their second egg of the season. 30 Black Left laid the first egg of the season again this year, but it was not viable. The egg they are incubating now is due to hatch between July 7 and July 11. Fingers crossed that this one will hatch!
Now, why she wasn’t with 26 White Right in 2008? Early February of that year, the entire flock was moved to the Zoo’s Jennings Center for Zoological Medicine while we had some exhibit maintenance done. During that hospital stay, 26 White Right sustained an injury to his trachea that would require surgery, a tracheal resection. Having a world-class veterinary staff, we were not worried. However, this meant that he would have to stay at the hospital and recover while the rest of the flock returned to their newly renovated exhibit.
30 Black Left holds her own with the kids!
With breeding season quickly approaching, I became nervous that he would not be back in time for the pair to have their “first egg of the season!” All the while, a young male not even three years old started showing interest in 30 Black Left. Surprisingly, she did not refuse his advances. Then again, how could she have realized that her beloved mate would return? As far as she knew, he was gone. And even though flamingos are usually monogamous, if something happens to their mate, they will quickly form a new bond so as to not miss a breeding opportunity. I was saddened by what was happening, but had not lost hope. 26 White Right returned to the exhibit on April 1, 2008—just 12 days after his surgery! After his release, I was sure that 30 Black Left would break the bond with the young male and return to her old mate. But wait—she didn’t even seem to recognize him!
Was his vocalization different due to the surgery and that was why she didn’t seem to know who he was? She ended up laying the second egg of the season soon thereafter; it was infertile, likely the result of the male being so young. Flamingos typically reach reproductive maturity between three and five years of age, and it usually takes a few tries before they are successful. Without any other choice, and in order to not miss a breeding opportunity, 26 White Right bonded with a new female. They had an egg together, but it did not hatch. It seemed that the bond between 30 Black Left and 26 White Right was broken forever, and this broke my heart—a pair I had seen so tightly bonded since I started working with the flock in 2006 was no more.
When the breeding season ended in 2008, since neither newly bonded pair had hatched an egg, they were free to roam about the exhibit since they did not have chick-rearing responsibilities. I started noticing that 30 Black Left and 26 White Right were spending time together again. With each day that passed, their bond seemed to get stronger until they appeared to be back to their old behaviors; they were almost never apart. During the breeding season of 2009, they were definitely back together again, and she laid the first egg of the season. I was so thrilled! How amazing is nature? And how awesome to have witnessed the strength of a bond between two very special birds?! They’ve been inseparable ever since.
Athena Wilson is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.
She’s a cougar! I love it!
She was just being ‘nice’ to the youngster and giving him the experience he needed to form a long lasting relationship with someone closer to his age
I do so love a happy ending!
Great love story! Thanks for sharing your observations.
I think people tend to feel more protective of and interested in the animals with whom we become “familiar.” When we learn the background and story about an individual, it is easier to form a bond with it than with an entire group. For example, countless dogs in shelters can be overlooked & ignored despite the fact that many will be euthanized. However, when a single dog there gets publicity because of a particular situation, many people will respond to adopt it.
While we love all the animals at the Zoo and the Park, these blogs that feature a particular one help us (me) to empathize and relate to it. So of course, I will be looking out for 30 Black Left and 26 White Right! I don’t know if others think the way I do, but I for one am always delighted to read about the animals that are featured in a blog.
Moderator’s note: Thank you for your kind comments, Mae!
This would be a great repost for Valentine’s day.
Thank you Athena for such a heart warming story and so well written. Very Good!
thank you so much for sharing this story, I had the privilege in visiting the San Diego zoo in 1980, My Aunt,uncle and I had journeyed there for me to have some surgery. this was one of our goals to visit I loved and hope someday to return
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How fun to see the flamingos. Are they Floozie’s relatives? I’ve been to the SD zoo many times and love being able to see the flamingos the first and last things.When I was little (yes I was one time) my next door neighbors would go to Florida every summer and brought me back something flamingo. If they only knew what they started! Our rv is all flamingos inside and out…even the dogs know not to touch the flamingo stuffed animal from the SD zoo. I was so thrilled to have found Floozie. She feels like part of my family.