Flight attendant gets creative when incubator with ‘rare’ flamingo eggs stops working

A zoo worker was carrying “rare” flamingo eggs on a flight from Atlanta to Seattle when the incubator stopped working, airline officials said.

But a flight attendant named Amber had a creative solution, Alaska Airlines said in Feb. 5 news release.

“A passenger rang the call button and asked if I would help keep some eggs warm,” Amber told airline officials.

The incubator carrying six Chilean flamingo eggs had stopped working during the August flight, and the Woodland Park Zoo worker needed some help, officials said.

Flight attendant, passengers help zoo worker

At first she was confused by his request, but then she had an idea to fill gloves with warm water.

The zoo worker used the gloves — along with coats and scarves from other passengers — to keep the eggs warm, the airline said.

Amber and other flight attendants on board refilled the gloves with warm water throughout the flight to keep the flamingo eggs warm, the airline said.

The Seattle zoo then called her months later and asked if she’d like to meet the chicks. All six of them had hatched.

She brought her granddaughter, Sunny, and greeted the gray, fluffy creatures with long legs.

Zoo officials said they named one of the chicks after her granddaughter. The other five flamingos were named Magdalena, Amaya, Rosales, Gonzo and Bernardo.

Chilean flamingos last hatched at the zoo in 2016. Now the zoo has 49 Chilean flamingos in its flock.

“I was honored and so happy that the chicks had hatched—all six of them!” she told the airline.

What to know about Chilean flamingos

The flamingos are found in the grasslands and mountains in South America, according to Zoo Atlanta.

These animals become pink in color after two to three years and stand over 3 feet tall and weigh less than 5 pounds, the zoo said.

A female flamingo will lay one egg at a time in a “mounded nest of mud.”

The flamingo has a lifespan of 40 to 50 years in zoos and in the wild, according to the zoo.