PREVIEW

Moose, a seven-year-old snowy owl residing at Birdworld in Surrey, faced life alone after her partner, Kettle, sadly passed away. However, she has now found love again with 20-year-old single Yorkshire-owl Elk - who himself had been seeking a partner for years.

After a carefully orchestrated introduction, Moose and Elk's blossoming relationship has warmed keepers' hearts after the loss of Kettle. Moose and Kettle hatched chicks in 2022, though they sadly did not survive. Further tragedy struck earlier this year when Kettle died after a long-term illness.

Keepers were determined that Moose would not live out a lonely life of widowhood, however, and sought out Elk - who has also been looking for love. “We were thrilled to find the incredibly handsome Elk, who we introduced to Moose as her neighbour before they were finally put in the same enclosure,” Polly Bramham of Birdworld explained. “They didn't disappoint – Moose ran up to Elk, nudged his face with hers, and then casually returned to her favourite tree stump to observe from a distance.”