German Chancellor Angela Merkel has delighted the internet with her latest informal photoshoot.
Merkel will be stepping down from her leadership role on Sunday, September 26, after 16 years at the country’s helm.
Dubbed “mutti” in Germany – meaning “mum” – Merkel has been widely praised for bringing stability to the country, but on Thursday, she let her mask of constant composure slip for just a moment.
As her chancellorship winds down, she visited a bird park in Marlow and clearly made quite an impression on the local residents.
Snaps of her feeding rainbow lorikeets then made the rounds online on Friday and Twitter was particularly delighted with the photo where she appears to be doing a theatrical scream while seven bird are resting on her at once.
The internet seized the moment and turned the world-renowned leader into a meme – naturally.
Bizarrely this is not the first time Merkel has been pictured surrounded by rainbow parakeets – she went to a similar park back in 2012, and there are images of stroking a New Zealand Kiwi from 2014.
Germany will elect a new parliament on Sunday. The party with the most votes will end up in power and can then choose a leader to be the next Chancellor.