In January 2024, at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in the United States, the Internet celebrity white-naped crane Walnut (Walnut) passed away at the age of 42.
For the white-naped crane, this age is considered a long life.
It left behind eight offspring and its most beloved human companion, Chris Crowe, a male animal breeder.
Crowe and Hu Tao have been partners for 19 years, and their fate began in 2004. His relationship with it is far from being as simple as an animal and a breeder, but similar to a "husband and wife".
The walnut is an outlier in the animal kingdom, and it doesn't like its own kind. In the past, it has also killed 2 of its own Crane Suitors.
In order to give birth to the walnut, the keepers have selected a number of excellent male cranes for it, and they have also transferred it to the Denver Zoo and the Cincinnati Zoo.
However, not only did Hu Tao fail to find a beloved mate, but also earned the reputation of the "Black Widow", and it is said that the abdomen of the two male cranes that courted him was "cut" by sharp claws.
Until the age of 23, it met Crow.
Crow's gentleness and carefulness eventually captured Hu Tao's heart and became a lifelong companion.
One man and one crane have been together for 19 years: one from China and one from the United States
Hu Tao is a white-naped crane with roots in China.
Its parents, Mercury and Amazon, were caught illegally poached in China, and during transportation, they were stopped by authorities and left at a research center in Wisconsin because they were unsure of their exact origin and health.
They have laid nine chicks here, including Walnut, whose name was taken on the whim of the volunteers who care for it, inspired by a delicious dessert at a nearby restaurant.
The white-naped crane is an extremely endangered species, according to statistics, there are only about 5,000 individuals in the wild.
In order to stimulate the mother bird to lay more eggs, people will adopt the behavior of stealing eggs, it gives birth to one, and we steal one, so that the mother bird will continue to mate and lay eggs.
The stolen eggs will be incubated by machines and taken care of by humans.
Although it greatly improves the reproduction rate and survival rate of birds, it also brings a very serious problem, that is, when these birds hatch, the first thing they see is humans, they will think that humans are their parents, and then cause a series of identity problems, such as not wanting to be close to their own kind and not liking their own partners.
Scientifically, this is called the phenomenon of imprinting. This is the case with the walnut, which has a very strong human imprint.
A normal white-naped crane can breed at the age of 3, while Walnut has no intention of finding a mate of the same kind when it reaches the age of 23. The humans helped match, and it also killed 2 suitors, so it can be said that it has a bad reputation.
But scientists have not given up on walnuts, because the white-naped crane is so valuable, it was originally only distributed in Japan, China and Russia, and the United States did not have it, and they are still trying to preserve this species.
In 2004, scientists sent it to the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
At this time, Crow had just joined the agency, and his job was to take care of 17 cranes and 36 ducks, including Hu Tao.
Acquaintance, love, and the next generation!
Initially, Crowe and Hu Tao did not have a good relationship.
Due to the strong human imprint, Hu Tao is not afraid of people, and does not hide from Crow when he first sees him, but instead acts threateningly: fearlessly walks up to the barbed wire, erects his feathers and growls.
The colleague shared with Crowe the ferocious past of Hu Tao, so he also stayed away from Hu Tao.
But the work continues, Crow is a very responsible person, and he still takes care of Hu Tao in every detail in life.
Slowly, Hu Tao let down his guard, and suddenly one day, the iron tree bloomed, and it lowered its head, raised its wings excitedly at Crow, and shook its head as it danced around the semicircle.
After spending a long time with the white-naped crane, Crow knows that Hu Tao is dancing a courtship dance, and he is "courting" himself.
It turns out that Hu Tao has always considered himself a "human", and all of his previous unbelievable behaviors make sense.
In order to preserve Hu Tao's cherished white-naped crane genes, Crowe agreed to become a "partner" with Hu Tao, and began to learn how to be a good husband, waiting for the right time to be artificial insemination.
What did Crow do during this time?
He learned the theory: learn the movements and calls of the male white-naped crane during courtship and mating;
Try to get closer to Hu Tao. Every day, he leans forward, bows slightly, and then slowly flapps his arms like wings, and then whispers a greeting: "Hey, how are you feeling today?"
Train Walnut not to be averse to physical contact. Normally, he touches the walnut with his hand, and if he doesn't run away and stands quietly, he rewards him with a snack - his favorite frozen mouse.
Learn how to build a nest and hatch eggs.
When building a nest, Crow will collect sticks and grass, and sometimes Walnut will not seem to be satisfied and will throw sticks directly outside the nest;
During the egg hatching training, Crow will also take the initiative to take on the task of hatching the eggs to let Hu Tao rest for a while. Hu Tao also seems to understand, and after going out to rest for 15 or 20 minutes, he will come back to hatch the eggs again.
After a few years of training, Hu Tao seems to have become accustomed to human companions.
In March 2007, Hu Tao's courtship dance came as scheduled. Crow was ecstatic and accepted the invitation to dance.
Walnut shook his head, and he shook his head, Walnut flapped his wings in circles, and his arms rose and fell like wings, circling each other, and Walnut made a loud trumpet, and he made a call similar to that of a male crane.
Although Crow's behavior was strange and his screams were not very similar, Hu Tao accepted it.
Crowe stroked Walnut's back, and Walnut turned, spread its wings, and raised its tail, meaning it agreed.
Crowe then injected the semen collected from other males (Ray) into Hu Tao to complete the insemination.
Breeder Crowe: I may never find a human companion again!
After becoming a partner with humans, Hu Tao became a star in the American animal world, and its life was complete.
During the 19 years he spent with Crowe, through artificial insemination, Hu Tao gave birth to a total of 8 cubs, one of which has been living with him all the time, and also has his children's children, that is, three generations in the same house.
At the beginning of January 2024, Hu Tao was admitted to the animal hospital because he did not eat or drink, and after treatment, he finally died, and the cause of death was kidney failure!
After his death, Crow remembered Hu Tao like this:
"Hu Tao is a unique individual with a lively personality, and I will be forever grateful to her for choosing me as a partner. ”
"She always expresses herself with confidence, is an eager and excellent dancer, and is resilient in the face of life's challenges. ”
In fact, Hu Tao is older in the later stage, and it is not suitable for reproduction.
However, Crowe did not end the relationship between the two, but continued to spend time with Hu Tao as a companion, dancing with him, building nests, and incubating eggs.
"I wish I could be with it for the rest of my life, and as long as it's still here, I'll be back to work when I retire," Crowe said. ”
Interestingly, in an interview, the reporter asked Crow, "Do you have a girlfriend? Will your girlfriend be jealous because of walnuts?"
And Crowe jokingly said: "Hu Tao sets the bar quite high, I will never find a woman like Hu Tao who will dance happily when she sees me!"