That’s because most people have never seen
such an elegant, colorful bird up close, much
less one that’s so friendly. “When Bob starts flap-
ping his wings,” she says, “children start to flap
their arms, and so do grown-ups. They are so
mesmerized by his beauty.”
Just don’t try to take a #Bobselfie. “That’s not
what Bob’s about,” Doest says firmly. “I have Bob
for people to think about nature and the envi-
ronment, and how a slight change in their habits
can have a big impact on nature around us.”
That could mean opting for reusable cups
instead of plastic bottles or skipping the bal-
loons at a birthday party or picking up trash on
the beach—all things Doest says children take to
heart because they’re so dazzled by Bob.
“She’s using him to tell a bigger story,” says
Jasper Doest, a Netherlands- based photogra-
pher and Odette’s cousin who has chronicled
the bird’s adventures for three years. “He by
himself would just be a flamingo, and without
Bob, she would not have that emblematic ani-
mal that gives her the attention to do her edu-
cational work.”JASPER DOEST FIRST GOT THE IDEA to photograph
Bob when the bird sauntered into his bedroom
at Odette’s house early one morning. “He walks
around like he’s king,” Jasper says. “We see a
lot of gloom-and-doom stories. This was a great
chance to show a positive side.”
At home, Bob plays another educationalDoest naps in the
pool near some of the
animals she has saved.
Besides running the
rescue center and her
veterinary practice,
she’s a mother, the
board chair of a local
conservation group
called Carmabi, and
a Ph.D. candidate in
zoonoses, or diseases
that can be trans-
ferred from animals
to humans. An opti-
mist, she reminds kids
that a small thing,
such as skipping bal-
loons at their birthday
parties, can help
eliminate waste that
harms animals.
130 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC