Pelican couple happy for becoming parents after six years of infertility

Mr. Percival and his wife were taking care of their eggs at an Australia’s Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue  for the last six years. They were anticipating to have their babies so the proud dad was sitting on the eggs for one month by then. But eggs never hatched.

In early autumn, the keepers of Mr. Percival put am egg from another female pelican into the couple’s nest and this is when things moved forward.

“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.”

Normally, pelicans reproduce in groups and lay 1-3 eggs per year. Their offspring  is difficult to raise – they completely depend on their parents for food and warmth as they are born  both blind and without any feathers.

The keepers were reporting the delight of Mr. Percival seeing the eggs hatching. Twinnies said on Facebook that “Mr. Percival was proud as punch. He moved us to tears. He and his spouse are obviously madly in love with their brand-new pelican chick”, they added.

During the next weeks after the hatch of the eggs, Mr. Percival proved himself being a very caring dad for his baby – he split all duties, including feeding and nesting with his beloved wife

“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 which he further feeds his little one.”

Mr. Percival also has developed  a special bond with his keepers, who have looked after him for eighteen years. He was found as a baby in fishing lines by his keepers on Chambers Island in Maroochydore, Queensland. His serious injury that caused him to lose a wing, led to transportation to the sanctuary’s protection. Now, Mr. Percival has the privilege to experiencing fatherhood for the first time in his life  and he’s never been seen happier than when he’s with his baby.

“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,” they added.