The sole female brolga at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve has today been introduced to her new potential mate for life, an 'older man' from Adelaide Zoo.
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Eighteen-year-old Billy, a male brolga more than 16 years her senior, has been brought to Tidbinbilla in the hopes of initiating a breeding program for the species - which is extinct in the ACT and rare within NSW.
The two have been communicating by "trumpeting" through a green shade cloth, which is the first step towards introducing the pair according to Tidbinbilla Wildlife Officer Scott Ryan.
Eighteen-month-old Meg was hand-reared and has never been in the same enclosure as another brolga, which Mr Ryan said could determine the success of Billy's introduction.
"Billy is quite a mature bird and has been around other brolga's before whereas Meg hasn't," he said.
Mr Ryan said captive breeding brolgas is generally "quite difficult" when the birds are left to their own devices, but through the use of artificial insemination there is hope for the species in this region.
There is no way to know whether the two will connect as brolgas tend to be quite shy, but there is hope if they are slowly introduced.
You can visit the lovely couple at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve's sanctuary.