After being saved from smugglers in northeastern Turkey some six months ago, a toucan settled in a zoo in central Turkey's Kayseri. But the solitary bird is a shadow of its former self.

So the zookeepers have thought up a solution: A female mate. "We don't want him to live a solitary life," Levent Taflıoğlu, a vet caring for the bird that is found in the tropical forests of the Americas, told Anadolu Agency (AA).

"He is very calm. He would be more active if we can get him a mate," he added. Officials have contacted other zoos in the country but are yet to find a female toucan to accompany the lone bird. Taflıoğlu said that they would like to call on the owners of a female toucan to contact them.