On a recent expedition to Kassel, during a night-time walk, my wife Morgrim and I discovered an unusually large egg – not quite ostrich-sized, but definitely larger than any native bird. If it was part of a clutch, we saw none of its siblings and it was suitably far out of the way of any regular nesting places or creatures that might have claimed it as its offspring that no immediate species identification was possible.
Indeed, without wanting to get into the specifics (as we would prefer not putting the mother at any risk if she’s still anywhere near the area), it seemed to have been hidden, albeit in a place that put it at seemingly deliberate risk of discovery by humans in particular.
We have reasons to believe that it was hidden from the Nayabaru and that it may be a kavkem egg.
Morgrim is currently heading back to Australia as I write this. Given the temperatures of the Australian summer are much better for hands-free incubation than the winter months of Germany, she’s taken the egg along with her – after extensive telephone discussions with Australian border quarantine, naturally. No doubt even despite those precautions, she’ll have an interesting tale to tell about her return home.
We don’t know how long it’ll take to hatch the egg, but our current plans involve keeping it safe, fed and loved. As far as we’re aware, we’re the first humans to try to raise a kavkem (if that is indeed what it is), which presents unique challenges, not in the least secure or medical.
(Note: We’re going to try hard not to make this blog a political statement, so we’d appreciate if the commenters don’t use this as a space to attack either Nekenalosan culture. Repeat offenders will be banned!)