Incubator fails during flight: inventive flight attendant saves six flamingo eggs

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Since 2016, visitors to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle (USA) have no longer been able to see flamingos. Seven years later that should have changed. Six flamingo eggs would be brought from the Atlanta Zoo to Seattle, where the pink birds would have lived in the future and maintained the population. But the plan almost failed due to a technical problem.

In August 2023, the zookeeper made his way to Seattle. Also included: a portable incubator to keep the growing chicks warm during the six-hour flight.

Goodbye incubator

As CNN reports, the shock came mid-flight: the incubator gave up the ghost. According to a statement from Alaska Airlines, which operated the flight, the zookeeper asked flight attendant Amber May for help: The eggs had to be kept warm or the chicks would not survive the flight. The flight attendant acted quickly – and others also offered help.

May rushed to the back of the plane. Her brilliant idea: she filled rubber gloves with warm water. She arranged this around the eggs to keep them warm. Meanwhile, many of the neighboring passengers had also begun offering their jackets and shells as additional insulation. Also during the flight, the flight attendant changed the gloves again and again when the water started to cool.

Sunny meets Sunny

The six eggs reached their destination unscathed. An employee of the Seattle Zoo also emphasized how incredibly important the help of the flight attendant and other passengers was. “The flamingo eggs would not have survived five hours in a non-functioning incubator. We are so grateful for the creative idea that led to the safe transportation of our precious eggs.” A month later the little flamingos hatched.

As a thank you, flight attendant May was invited to the zoo in November to meet the chicks. She also had a particularly great honor: she was allowed to baptize one of the birds. The name? Sunny – to her newborn granddaughter, who was also at the meeting. The remaining five are called Magdalena, Amaya, Rosales, Gonzo and Bernardo.

Source: Blick