Angela Merkel was on the campaign trail on Friday, two days before Germans head to the polls to elect a new parliament and thus her replacement.
The 67-year-old is retiring after almost 16 years as German chancellor, but she is still out campaigning for her center-right Christian Democratic Union party.
On Friday, she made a surprise visit to the northern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where she visited a bird park in the town of Marlow.
There, while holding some bird feed, she posed with some colorful Australian rainbow lorikeets.
Things... quickly went south.
When the overzealous birds nipped at her hands, Merkel let out a screech that was captured by Georg Wendt, a photographer with the DPA news agency.
The incredible pictures soon went viral.
Merkel visited a bird zoo today and the photos are everything. This isn't photoshop, it actually happened
I feel like Angela Merkel, photographed today in Germany with Australian lorikeets, is embodying the week we’ve all had.
People found the photos to be instantly meme-worthy.
@marceldirsus 1.Instagram 2.Twitter
2019->2020-2021 https://t.co/Fq6PWIJqK0
Me sowing, me reaping. https://t.co/M3UI18pycL
made meme
And many comparisons were made...
Angela Merkel at a bird sanctuary giving me Home Alone 2 Pigeon Lady vibes
Damn they recast Harley Quinn already????? https://t.co/fDVB4rLWgS
somewhere Tippi Hedren is like “girl I tried to tell y’all” https://t.co/AdAnGOAJi1
Enjoy retirement, chancellor, and thanks for this final gift on the way out.
Please do NOT share pictures of the Chancellor of Germany covered in birds, Chancellors of Germany only do this when they are VERY DISTRESSED https://t.co/AJ1ZyaYkfE