Flamingo bird is found in the southern United States

Flamingo bird is found in the southern United States

This is news that will cheer PETA: a flamingo who escaped from a zoo in the United States found refuge more than a thousand kilometers, 13 years later. And for an animal deported to another continent, we can say that he is doing well!

The story begins in 2003. 40 flamingos from Tanzania are sent to the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, a city in the state of Kansas, for an exhibition on Africa.

Generally, some of their wings are amputated to prevent them from flying. But it is better to do it when they are still babies, the bones of their wings are not yet fully formed, they do not have all the sensations yet.

Since all the exported flamingos were already adults, zoo officials had decided not to perform amputation so that it would not be painful for them.

They used another way to reduce the feather size of their wings by cutting them slightly, which is enough to keep them on the ground. But this operation must be repeated annually, as flamingos, like most birds, moult at least once a year to replace all their used feathers.

However, in June 2005, the guards had not paid attention to two flamingos and their new feathers that had fully repelled, and who took the opportunity to fly and escape.

The two fugitives, tagged at the zoo with the numbers 347 and 492, stayed a few days in the region (despite several attempts to recapture them in vain), until the day when a big storm finally convince them to go elsewhere and to steal each of their own wings. And what day did it take place? July 4th, independence day in the United States! Simple coincidence?

Escaped zoo flamingo, on the lam since 2005, spotted near Lavaca Bay by our Coastal crew.

The African Flamingo made its break from a Kansas zoo after keepers failed to clip its wings, and has been spotted in several states since.

This is news that will cheer PETA: a flamingo who escaped from a zoo in the United States found refuge more than a thousand kilometers, 13 years later. And for an animal deported to another continent, we can say that he is doing well!

The story begins in 2003. 40 flamingos from Tanzania are sent to the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, a city in the state of Kansas, for an exhibition on Africa.

Generally, some of their wings are amputated to prevent them from flying. But it is better to do it when they are still babies, the bones of their wings are not yet fully formed, they do not have all the sensations yet.

Since all the exported flamingos were already adults, zoo officials had decided not to perform amputation so that it would not be painful for them.

They used another way to reduce the feather size of their wings by cutting them slightly, which is enough to keep them on the ground. But this operation must be repeated annually, as flamingos, like most birds, moult at least once a year to replace all their used feathers.

However, in June 2005, the guards had not paid attention to two flamingos and their new feathers that had fully repelled, and who took the opportunity to fly and escape.

The two fugitives, tagged at the zoo with the numbers 347 and 492, stayed a few days in the region (despite several attempts to recapture them in vain), until the day when a big storm finally convince them to go elsewhere and to steal each of their own wings. And what day did it take place? July 4th, independence day in the United States! Simple coincidence?

He had even found a companion: a flamingo of the Caribbean, who has certainly also moved into the country because of a storm. Friends or couple, no one knows, because the sex of No. 492 was not established during his captivity. Since they appeared to be the same size, they are likely to be of the same sex.

They had been seen together in 2006 and 2013, but when No. 492 was spotted in Texas, he was alone. Arengo explains that his companion is not necessarily dead. They may have quite naturally separated, and they might even find themselves in the future again.

Flamingos live on average 40 years. It is estimated that No. 492 is about 20 years old. He still has good days ahead of him to enjoy the freedom he has achieved, with great luck!