The enormous impact of “a personal initiative driven by love and empathy” warmed hearts at the 6^th edition of Xposure International Photography Festival, where Dutch photojournalist Jasper Doest reflected on his documentary project about a flamingo named Bob.

“‘Meet Bob’ is an intimate story about two individuals working together to initiate positive change,” said the photographer, explaining that Bob was rescued by his cousin Odette, a veterinarian on the Dutch Caribbean Island of Curaçao.

Odette took Bob in as a rescue after he crashed into a window of the local Hilton hotel, leaving him severely concussed. During his rehabilitation, he developed arthritis and could not be released back into the wild. Instead, Odette made him part of her family of more than 70 animals, which eventually resulted in Doest’s project.

The images screened at the festival beautifully capture the close bond between Bob and Odette and depicted Bob as he went about his work as the animal ambassador of Odette’s conservation education charity, Foundation for Animals and Education in the Caribbean (FDOC), which teaches children about local wildlife on the island.

Bob’s story was featured in the 54^thWildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition and in National Geographic Magazine in February 2020. In April 2020, it was published as a book to raise funds for the conservation work of FDOC.