African Flamingo Missing from Kansas Zoo for 17 Years Spotted in Texas Living in the Wild

Photo: Getty

An African flamingo missing from a Kansas zoo for 17 years recently was spotted out in the wild in Texas.

TheAssociated Pressreported that the pink bird is one of two flamingos that escaped from the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas, in 2005 during a storm.

Since the bird was a newcomer to the Sedgwick County Zoo,blood testing had not yet been doneat the time to determine the bird’s sex.

On Tuesday, the Coastal Fisheries Division of Texas Parks and Wildlife told AP they found the escaped flamingo in video footage from March 10 around Rhodes Point in Cox Bay, Texas.

The flamingo is easily identifiable due to the number on its leg band, which is No. 492.

When the two flamingos escaped in 2005, their wings were not clipped, which made fleeing the zoo easier for both birds, added AP.

While there are no reported sightings of the flamingo that is not No. 492, No. 492 has been seen in Wisconsin, Louisiana, and Texas over the years since their escape, according to AP.

The last time someone spotted flamingo No. 492 before March 10 was in May 2019 during Memorial Day weekend.

Both of the escaped flamingos were initially transported to the zoo from Africa in 2004 along with almost 40 other flamingos, added AP.

In 2007, a Sedgwick County Zoo officialstatedit is difficult to capture the bird without disturbing other wildlife.

“There really isn’t an easy way to recapture the bird. It would only disturb wildlife where it’s been found and possibly could do more damage to the bird than just leaving him alone,” said Christan Baumer, a spokesperson for the zoo at the time, in 2007, per AP.

source: people.com