BORN in 1957, Jackson has finally found love after six decades alone. The 60 year-old male Lesser Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo recently met his match in five year-old female Lesser Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo, Zahra.
Jackson and Zahra are currently in the breeding facilities at Umgeni River Bird Park, and the park’s curator for birds, Tarryn Bristow says that ever since the couple were introduced about two months ago, staff have seen a huge turn around in Jackson’s behaviour.
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“He has gradually come out of his shell. Where before he used to be shy, hiding in a corner when he was with other birds, now he is curious and a little more talkative,” Bristow said.
According to the curator, second time was the charm for Jackson. “Things unfortunately didn’t work out between him and Crystal, an eight year-old he was paired with last year. With Zahra, things look bright, so we’ll soon be putting in a nest box for them.
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What is even more extraordinary about Jackson, said the Umgeni River Bird Park’s education and marketing manager Grant Aggett-Cox, is that he is the oldest recorded and confirmed bird of his species in the world.
“He was given to the park in 2015, after his previous owner could no longer take care of him because she was being moved to an old-age facility. Other than the fact that he had four owners before her, there is little else we know about his history,” Aggett-Cox said.
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The Lesser Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo is a critically endangered species in the wild, continued Aggett-Cox. He said that because of this, the prospect of Jackson and Zahra mating is important because every chick that is born, even in captivity is vital to the survival of the species.
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