It’s called Pod and it’s a strigoid podargo chick. When found on the ground at the foot of a tree, however, it looked like nothing more than a cotton ball.
While walking the streets of Brighton, Australia, a passerby noticed a ball of white fur near a tree. Nothing strange, if that mysterious wad hadn’t started moving. Seeing its legs and beak, the man understood that it was the baby of a podargus, a nocturnal bird present in much of the Oceanic state. The chick must have fallen from a tree, but there was no trace of its family or nearby nests.
The bird had been abandoned once and the passerby had no intention of leaving it alone a second time, so he placed it in the care of Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. There, the staff visited and fed the little podargo, which they named Pod. On social media, the sanctuary posted photos of the new patient, who weighs just over 20 grams on the scale, challenging users to guess which animal it was. Many gave the correct answer, others limited themselves to commenting: «He is the cutest creature ever seen!».
The white wad will stay at the shrine until it is old enough to fend for itself. When it’s safe for him, he’ll be released back into his natural habitat.
