Generous hornbill at Thai zoo ‘feeds’ its human visitors in unusual role reversal, melts netizens’ hearts

Hornbill at Thai zoo feeds its human visitors in role reversal

In a heartwarming role reversal, a hornbill at Thailand’s Chiang Mai Zoo has captured the internet’s attention by feeding its human visitors.

A group of animal lovers visiting the zoo filmed the unusual interaction, where the bird handed pieces of food to them through its cage.

The video, posted on 23 Feb, has since gone viral, amassing over 5 million views.

Hornbill shares its food with its visitors

In the clip, the hornbill can be seen carefully picking up small pieces of food and offering them to visitors one by one.

As soon as someone takes the food, the bird reaches down for another piece and eagerly looks around for the next recipient.

The gathered crowd can be heard fawning over the bird’s adorable behavior.

“It’s so cute,” one said.

When the hornbill runs out of food, it hops around its enclosure searching for more. As visitors begin to leave, the bird follows them along the cage as if bidding them farewell.

Zoo explains hornbill behaviour

After the clip went viral, the Chiang Mai Zoo told local media that the hornbill in question is called Pluto, a 23-year-old male.

According to the Hornbill Research Foundation, male hornbills instinctively gather food for their mates and offspring.

Zoo officials speculate that Pluto may be displaying this behaviour due to the loss of his longtime partner, Neptune, who recently passed away.

Many netizens expressed concern that Pluto might be feeling lonely, with some urging the zoo to find him a new companion.

Thankfully, the zoo has reassured the public that they are actively searching for a new mate for Pluto in preparation for the upcoming breeding season.

Also read: Tiger cub at Thai safari has netizens clamouring over its cute eyes

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Featured image adapted from @earnny.pl on TikTok.