This Flamingo Needs Your Help

One day in 2019, a group of kids on the Caribbean island of Curaçao [koo-rah-SAOW] welcomed a special visitor to their school. He had a long, S-shaped neck and a sharp, curved beak. Soft pink feathers covered his body.

His name was Bob, and he was an amiable flamingo. But Bob wasn’t just visiting this class to learn the day’s math lesson or taste the school lunch. He had an important job to do: He and veterinarian Odette Doest were there to teach kids about how to aid birds and other wildlife.

Flamingos are just one of more than 18,000 different bird species around the world—from ostriches that are taller than humans to teeny-tiny hummingbirds that weigh less than a coin. Each species has its own special powers. Vultures can soar as high as an airplane. Falcons can zoom through the air faster than a speeding train. Owls dive to nab their prey—and eat it in one big gulp.

But even with these incredible superpowers, the world’s birds are in danger. One in eight bird species are dying out, according to a recent report. The biggest threat? No, it’s not hungry cats. It’s humans.

We leave behind litter that birds eat by accident. We chop down the trees where they build their nests to make room for homes and farms. We construct huge, glassy buildings that stretch up into the sky—where birds can crash into them and get seriously hurt.

This is what happened to Bob in October 2016. He flew into a hotel window, injuring his head and left wing. Thankfully, a genial veterinarian named Odette was called to assist him.

While Odette nursed Bob back to health, she found that he had a foot disease that would make it impossible for him to return to the wild. So she took him under her wing, and they’ve been a team ever since.

Odette takes Bob with her to visit classrooms across Curaçao. She explains to students that they can change a small thing about their day-to-day habits to benefit wild birds like Bob. They can use reusable bottles instead of plastic ones, say no to balloons at birthday parties, plant bird-friendly plants in their yards, and turn off lights overnight to help keep birds from crashing into windows.

Kids say that meeting Bob is an unforgettable experience. Odette hopes that Bob’s message about protecting wild birds is unforgettable too.