This is an archive article published on September 25, 2021

Angela Merkel visits bird park, her candid moments with parrots spark meme fest

While the first few pictures of the Chancellor appear pleasant, things changed quickly when she she decided to feed the lorikeets

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Angela Merkel, Angela Merkel bird park visit, Angela Merkel pecked by parrots, angela merkel lorikeets memes, angela merkel memes, indian expressGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel feeds Australian lorikeets at Marlow Bird Park in Marlow, Germany. (Source: AP)

Amid the intense election campaign in Germany, outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel unintentionally offered some lighter moments for netizens when she visited a bird park. As the political leader posed pleasantly with half a dozen parrots, one of the birds appears to have pecked at her, causing Merkel to contort her face in reaction. The unusual moment was caught on camera and has, understandably, triggered a torrent of memes and jokes online.

Merkel, who has been the chancellor for almost 16 years, was on a farewell tour of her home constituency in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania promoting the centre-right Union bloc’s candidate. There she visited the Vogelpark Marlow bird park and was greeted by a flock of Australian rainbow lorikeets.

ALSO READ | ‘Trump placed on naughty seat?’: Angela Merkel’s photo at G7 summit inspires meme

The 67-year-old leader who is not running for a fifth term, shared a few candid moments with the birds who were seen perched on her arms and even her head. While the first few pictures came out well with her smiling brightly, things changed quickly when she she decided to feed them.

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The colourful parrots were seen eating from a small paper cup filled with “lori nectar” when one of the birds pecked at the stateswoman’s hand, prompting a dramatic reaction from Merkel. The now-viral snaps were captured by Georg Wendt, a photographer with DPA news agency.

While some tried to come up with witty captions, others compared Merkel’s facial expressions to how one felt before and after the outbreak of the pandemic.

Merkel is set to step down formally once a new chancellor is chosen after Sunday’s election.

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