A swan and a pelican of Terra Natura Benidorm present a behavior typical of mating despite they are different species.
The facilities of Terra Natura Benidorm are again the scene of a romantic love story, this time featuring a male pelican and a female swan. According to the zookeepers of the park, they have a curious behavior that could be described as mating although it is not possible the sexual contact.
The protagonist of the love story is Dori, a female white swan who arrived to Terra Natura Benidorm in 2005 with her partner. The swans are birds that live as a couple all their life, so when the male died in 2010, Dori was in a mourning period. Months later, Rocky arrived to Terra Natura, a common male pelican that didn´t have much appetite, reserved and distant from the rest of the group. However, a few months later, zookeepers started to see changes in the behavior of both.
Initially, the veterinarians thought that the contact between Dori and Rocky was casual, but they detected that Rocky was keeping alert very often in their walks with his neck straight to prevent any danger to Dori. Even Rocky don´t go to sleep to his facilities if Dori it´s not there.
According to the zookeepers of Terra Natura Benidorm, although both are birds, they belong to different species and this confusion may respond to their similar body size, aquatic habits and the white color of their plumage. Despite this, the birds have found company in each other.
Valentine’s Day
The love story between Dori and Rocky will be one of those stories you can find out firsthand if you visit Terra Natura Benidorm during the next Valentine’s Day. The park has planned special activities for lovers’ day, including the “Love Experience”, a guided tour to know all the love stories that have arisen between the animals of the park, as well, special menus and workshops have been designed for these days, between Friday 10th and Sunday, 12th February.