Chris and Walnut - a Love Story

One fascinating thing about the internet age is that stories are constantly being recycled and brought back to light, years after they happened.  Something can happen a long time ago and then, boom, someone comes across it, posts it, and then it's everywhere, sometimes more prominently than it was when it was still new.  It doesn't matter, though - now it's new to everyone else.

Consider Chris Crowe and Walnut, the female white-naped crane at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

The Zoo Keeper Who "Fathered' Five Chicks With A Murderous Endangered Crane

Walnut showed little inclination to mate with male cranes - hell, she killed two males she was paired with.  Instead of writing her off as a lost cause, the decision was made to take advantage of her infatuation with one of her keepers, who then artificially inseminated her to raise five chicks.

Not sure why this story (which we covered her back in 2015) is now popping up again, but I'm kind of glad it does.  It offers some positive reminders of the good work that the zoo community does and how dedicated (some might say... excessively) we can be to bringing species back from the brink.

As for Chris Crowe... hope he's not tired of the memes.  Because they just keep coming.