It’s Valentines and the week of love! What better way is there to celebrate everything romantic than to look at some of our favorite couples at the park?
Mammals
You can’t speak about Matt without mentioning his greatest loves, Nando and Kathleen. Our loved-up pair of Lowland Tapirs. Even though Nando has now been castrated (sorry no more babies) this doesn’t mean that they don’t still spend an awful lot of time together. They still like to play chase and have a splash about in the lake when there’s some warmer weather.
They also still like to sleep next to each other on occasion. Sometimes I think Matt gets a little jealous of their close relationship. However, he isn’t just a third wheel when they want Tapir tickle time. He’s fully involved, and Matt is always happy to lend a hand for belly rubs.
Matt’s second favorite couple are Jerky and Aurora, our Blesbok pair. These two hit it off immediately, with Jerky going all gooey eyed over his new partner and following her around the paddock for a few hours. They are usually not far from each other and although Jerky was originally an honorary giraffe, he no longer hangs out with his bros in their house. He’d much rather be spending his time with his girlfriend than hanging out with the boys. And who can blame him when he has such a gorgeous lady to keep him company.
Primates
George’s favorite primate couples are our dastardly loved up pair of Jin and Molly, the Bornean Orangutans and the cutie Cotton Top Tamarin duo, Tina and Yoto.
Our most mischievous pair out of all the animals in the park (cough, cough…Molly and Jin) get up to all sorts together. Molly certainly has Jin wrapped around her finger and will even get him to bring her food, blankets and whatever else she can’t be asked to move for. Jin certainly is the love-struck teenage boy and follows her around like a puppy. They are big characters on the primate section and present some of their biggest challenges when coming up with new ideas to keep them entertained.
Tina and Yoto, the Cotton Top Tamarins are a cute pair. Although, Tina might be considered a cougar in some circles, being seven years senior to Yoto. They get on like a house on fire. They can often be seen grooming each other or getting defensive together over their enclosure when keepers must enter. However, they usually stay out of the way and keep a watchful eye on the intruders.
Birds
Becky’s favorite loved up bird couples are, Dave and Schofield, the Humboldt Penguins and Otis and Dee-Dee, the Hyacinth Macaws.
Dave and Schofield can be a bit of a handful, being the youngest penguins. They usually get some extra attention from Becky when it comes to feeding. Plus, apparently Becky thinks it’s hilarious when animals have human names, so you know what to suggest if we ever put names to public votes.. She has also revealed to me that Dave is her favorite penguin. Don’t worry Becky, we won’t tell the others.
Otis and Dee-Dee are one of our Hyacinth Macaw pairs. They are however the cheeky ones, stealing cleaning equipment and generally being naughty when Becky is trying to clean in there. But they are adorable when cuddling up to one another which makes up for their naughtiness.
My Favourites
My personal favorite couples must be Faye and Lucas, the chimpanzees and Bob and Pong, the Smooth Coated Otters.
Although not exclusive, Faye and Lucas still spend a lot of time together and in my opinion are BFF’s. Who said you can’t have a best friend of the opposite sex? When you see these two together, they are often grooming each other or on rare occasions sharing food. Lucas will even stick up for Faye during scuffles and becomes her knight in shining armor. Aww what a hero.
Bob and Pong are my favorite mated pair. Bob is the epitome of fatherhood. Even though his daughters are 2 years old and quite capable of retrieving their own food, he still offers up his own to them and Pong. It was a funny sight to see Bob in a fluster when Pong started to teach the pups to swim at around six weeks old. She had all the pups with her and started dunking them under the water, teaching them to hold their breath, the otter way. Bob having never witnessed this, panicked at his babies calls and started dragging them out by their scruffs. Pong told him off immediately for interrupting her lesson and he was in the doghouse for the next few hours.
Bob and Pong may be getting on the older side now, but they still like to play together and are always near each other.
Who is your favourite couple at the park? Let us know and make sure you come and see them soon!
