Same-sex vulture couple hatch an abandoned egg together
Politics got ya down? Sounds like you need a touching story about two male vultures taking an impromptu flight into fatherhood.
On Wednesday, Natura Artis Magistra zoo in Amsterdam became home to your new favorite animal fam. The Associated Press reported that two male griffon vultures who have been in a relationship for quite some time successfully hatched an abandoned egg at the zoo and are now fathers.
Yes, you read this beautiful tale correctly. Two vultures are now dads to a precious little vulture chick. We're not crying, YOU are crying.
In a statement, the Artis zoo explained that after zookeepers found an egg on the floor of the vulture aviary they initially put it in an incubator. However, they later decided it would be best to place the egg in the nest that the two male birds built together. 😍 Amazing choice.
The two male vultures, who have reportedly been a couple for years, alternated sitting on the egg until it hatched, and are now caring for the chick together. They're adjusting to parenthood quite nicely, and doing super adorable vulture dad things like regurgitating food to ensure their little one is fed.
While the zoo stated it's not unusual for birds or other animals to enter into same-sex relationships, it's admittedly the first time they've seen two male vultures hatch an egg together.
If this tale of same-sex bird love is tugging at your heartstrings, might we suggest you check out And Tango Makes Three — a children's book that tells the true story of two male chinstrap penguins who hatched an egg together in New York's Central Park Zoo.
Best of luck to all the new bird dads out there, and happy early Father's Day!
Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.
