TWO old ducks, Matilda (left) and George, are sharing their twilight years.
A PAIR of elderly paradise shelducks at the Ōtorohanga Kiwi House are proving perceived wisdom about once-in-a-lifetime mating, a myth.
There’s a pair of 10-year-old paradise ducks at the kiwi house, George and Matilda, who, against the odds, are enjoying a second relationship in their twilight years.
It used to be George and Mildred, but Mildred died, and George was not happy. He became aggressive, attacked his keepers and was generally grumpy and bad tempered.
Enter Matilda, an elderly female paradise duck from the neighbouring enclosure whom staff noticed was making eyes at George over the fence.
Matilda was so used to human company and cuddles that she had started to demand them, and it was thought that she would no longer want the company of other ducks.
She had lived at the kiwi house for more than 10 years but after her original mate died, she was transferred to another facility to pair with a male there. She didn’t like him and when she returned in November last year, she was placed in an enclosure next to George for companionship.
There were soon more than friendship vibes flowing and, surprisingly, George started making eyes back.
“One day we just noticed George was making googly eyes at Matilda and it was like, ‘huh’,” kiwihouse manager Jo Russell said.
“We are not sure Matilda even knows she’s a duck because she was hand reared. She was rescued and hand reared and blow me down, we put them in together and she is now honking and behaving like a proper paradise shelduck should, which is lovely.”
When talking about New Zealand natives as being monogamous and mating for life, it didn’t mean they mated for life, Jo said.
“The odd divorce happens, and the odd re-pairing happens,” she said. “In essence, if there is not any real change in the situation, they will happily be together.
“They are fiercely territorial, so once they do mate it is more likely they would lose a mate though death and then that’s what would cause them to re-pair. Other birds are like, every season, it’s up for grabs.”
For George, it is his pond and his woman, and he will charge, beak down, towards any perceived threat, including staff.
“He thinks he’s just so tough, bless him. What we do love is he has got her acting more like a paradise shelduck,” Jo said.
“She honks at people now.
“He’s hilarious when he charges, because that’s his job. He will defend his territory.
“At times, he will challenge his keepers with his head slung low and hurtle towards them with a determined waddle.
“Such gallantry from a paradise duck,” Jo said.
“Our keepers are wise to him and gently hold him back until he gets bored and wanders off to honk somewhere else.”
George and Matilda are now happily enjoying their twilight years together.
Their average life expectancy is two to three years, although some live much longer. The oldest recorded paradise shelduck lived 23 years.
