17 Years After Fleeing Zoo, Flamingo Still Out There

No. 492 again sighted in Texas after escaping Kansas zoo in 2005
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 29, 2022 6:14 PM CDT
Flamingo That Fled Kansas Zoo 17 Years Ago Seen in Texas
Stock photo of a flamingo.   (Getty Images)

One of two flamingos that escaped from a Kansas zoo during a storm 17 years ago has been spotted on the coast of Texas, wildlife officials said. The Coastal Fisheries Division of Texas Parks and Wildlife confirmed Tuesday to the AP that the African flamingo—known as No. 492 because of the number on its leg band—was captured on video shot March 10 by an environmental activist near Port Lavaca, Texas, at Rhodes Point in Cox Bay. Officials were able to make out the bird's leg band on the video. "Looks like Pink Floyd has returned from the 'dark side of moon'!" the Coastal Fisheries Division quipped on Facebook, where it shared a video clip of the bird.

The escaped flamingos, known for their distinctive pink feathers and long legs and necks, were born in Africa then shipped to the Kansas zoo in 2004 with 39 other flamingos. The two left the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita on a stormy night in June 2005. Employees had not yet clipped the birds' wings to prevent them from flying, which facilitated their escape. While the other flamingo was never seen again, No. 492 has been spotted several times in Wisconsin, Louisiana, and Texas, sometimes with other wild flamingos. Officials said it had been a year or two since the bird was last seen in Texas. Zoo officials have never made plans to recapture it, saying there is no easy way to do so without disturbing other wildlife.

(More strange stuff stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X