Lonely hearts club: Whio baby finds a friend at Auckland Zoo

A lonely baby whio, a native and endangered New Zealand blue duck rarer than some species of kiwi, has found a friend at Auckland Zoo, after keepers were worried the whio would not be able to stay warm by itself.

It was a sad beginning for the baby whio, who was the only one in its clutch to survive, but bird keepers paired the whio up with an endangered pāteke duckling--and the two have forged quite the friendship.

Check out Aotearoa Science Agency's footage above of the two mates moving to a new habitat in Auckland Zoo yesterday.

Every healthy whio duck born at Auckland Zoo is eventually sent to a duckling boot camp, where they build up their muscles before being released to a fast-flowing river. Meanwhile, pāteke are sent to the Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust to get used to wild conditions before being released.