Pink cockatoo Cindy inspired Brisbane 2032 Olympics emblem
A 2011 photograph of cockatoo Cindy at a Sunshine Coast sanctuary inspired the Brisbane 2032 Olympic emblem.
National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore snapped Cindy at Parrots in Paradise near the Glass House Mountains while on assignment in 2011. Fifteen years later, when shown the Brisbane 2032 emblem last week, he immediately recognised the connection.
The design echoes Cindy's distinctive crest and feathering, organic, wild, and fire-like. Sartore had no idea his photo would shape Olympic history.
"When I saw it, I thought 'I get it, I get it', it looks like fire, it looks like something that's organic and wild," he said. Cindy, a gregarious bird who loved showing off to visitors, lived at the sanctuary from 2000 until her death last year at around age 30.
Founder Dail Martins called her "a sweetheart." The emblem marks a quiet win for Sartore's 30-year Photo Ark project, which has documented nearly 19,000 animal species.
- 2000 until death last year, around age 30
- Cindy's lifespan at sanctuary
- Nearly 19,000 animal species
- Photo Ark species documented
- 30-year project
- Sartore's Photo Ark duration
Why it mattersA fleeting moment captured on film becomes an enduring Olympic symbol, and Cindy's spirit will greet millions at Brisbane 2032.
AustraliaAustralians heading to or watching Brisbane 2032 are now part of a story linking a quiet Sunshine Coast sanctuary, a beloved local bird, and Olympic history.
Corroborated bytheage.com.au·watoday.com.au
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