Lonely rhea seeks soulmate for Valentine's Day

A Kent animal sanctuary says it is searching for a soulmate for a "kind and gentle" rhea, adding he has never experienced the love and companionship of a lady bird.

Maria Harle, who works at Amazing Animal Encounters in Tonbridge, says Silvia is an "elderly gentleman" and has been a resident of the sanctuary for several years.

Harle said the bird had lived exclusively with his brother, Chris, before he died of natural causes.

The sanctuary added it has been looking far and wide for "the one" for the lonely Silvia, with Harle saying they are willing to "travel further for the right match".

She said Silvia was believed to be about 12-years-old, and described him as "peaceful and good-natured" with "beautiful" blue eyes.

"We are hoping to look for a lady bird, about his age, so Silvia can live out the rest of his twilight years with a companion," Harle said.

She said Silvia and Chris had come from a petting farm from Essex before becoming permanent residents at the sanctuary.

As Silvia had not adapted to the farm's environment, the brothers were relocated.

Harle explained the reasoning behind the naming of the birds.

She said: "We wanted to name the birds using a play on the name rhea, hence we came up with Chris who was named after the late musician.

"While Silvia was named after the Roman Goddess, Rhea Silvia, the mother of Romulus and Remus."

Harle said they ideally would want Silvia's soulmate to move in with him, as travelling to another sanctuary would make Silvia nervous.

She says rheas are native to South America and can live between 10 to 15 years in the wild, and 15 years or more in captivity.

"We hope this Valentine's Day will be Silvia's year. He had always been with his brother, and he has been on his own since Chris died."

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