In 2005, Flamingo No. 492 escaped on a windy day in Wichita, Kansas.

Sedgwick County Zoo staff clipping a flock of flamingos from Africa,

a painless pruning job, and Human haircuts make no difference.

Birds usually change their feathers every six months to a year, and once the new feathers are fully grown, breeders cut them off to limit the bird's ability to fly,

This is a very common practice, except in zoos, pet bird owners are reluctant to let their beloved birds fly too far.

At that time, a gust of wind whistled, and a few flamingos that had not yet had their turn to clip their feathers flew away.

Most of the birds returned to their original places after a circle in the zoo.

But the rebellious No. 492 and its little friend No. 347 have been accumulating energy for a long time, and they will never return when they get a chance.

They first ran to a place 100 meters away from the zoo In the swamps of Domi, fighting wits and bravery with the managers who were desperately trying to bring them home.

After a stalemate for a few days, taking advantage of the thunderstorm, the two birds spread their wings firmly,

Number 347 flew north, it was seen in Minnesota, but after that, there was no news of it, and number 492 parted ways and went all the way south.

(Schematic)

David Foreman is a fishing guide and local land snake in Edna, Texas,

March 10 this year , when he boarded the ship with a friend in Port Lavaca, he knew nothing about the story of Flamingo 492.

There are always customers who tell David that they have seen flamingos on the shore, and

At each time, he will be very patient to explain that flamingos do not In Texas,

What they saw was the rose spoonbill, which is pink like the flamingos, but smaller, and they are often found along the Gulf of Mexico ,

David has told hundreds of people the same thing.

Rose Spoonbill

But on this day, David couldn't believe his eyes,

There was a tall, graceful bird standing there like a fiery Standing on one foot, as birds often do,

He zoomed in on his phone's camera as much as possible, looking for evidence that would convince him.

Image taken by David

My brain told me you couldn't see a flamingo, but my eyes kept saying yes it was a flamingo , you can't go wrong. David, who grew up in a bird sanctuary, fell into self-doubt,

he thought that the rhetoric he had given to his guests over the years had to change.

David posted the video of the flamingo he took online to share with his friends,

Someone told him that this might be the flamingo that escaped a few years ago,

So David directly asked the social account of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department,

The other party gave a positive answer, this is No. 492,

The bright pink wings also gave it a very rocky new nickname, Pink Floyd.

In 2003, 492 was about 2 to 3 years old when it was sent to the Sedgwick County Zoo along with 39 other flamingos from its native Tanzania.

After only two years, it ran out of the zoo,

Maybe it was lucky, maybe it was already prepared, this The guy went all the way to the south and found a suitable environment in Texas, where there are wetlands, year-round high temperatures, and ample food sources,

And its little friend flying north, No. 347, is very Probably didn't even get through the first winter....

For the past 5 years, almost every spring, people can see No. 492 on the Texas coastline .

No. 492 in 2018

In its hometown in North Africa, the big flamingo No. 492 (the largest flamingo) usually lives on the salt lake,

So the sunny, salty Gulf of Mexico is perfect for it,

There's plenty of food for it too, plankton, algae, and a good year Shrimp can feed it full.

Brine shrimp is also the reason for the pink coat of the flamingo.

Flamingos have a strong nomadic attribute, they do not migrate regularly, and only change places to live when needed,

If food resources are not abundant enough , or need to reproduce before they move.

So as long as a flamingo finds everything it needs in a wetland somewhere, it will stay there,

In a zoo, they Usually a very safe baby.

No. 492 is a carefully selected new home spanning nearly 1,000 kilometers. Naturally, it is very suitable for its appetite.

Eat and drink, not starving and freezing,

If you have to say anything about the shortcomings, it is companionship.

Previously, No. 492 used to have a long-term rice ride,

As early as 2006, a wind that may have been blown by a tropical storm Caribbean flamingos in the northern Gulf were found inseparable from number 492,

Caribbean flamingos

Although they are two different species, there are enough similarities, Let them be happy to see each other,

Two lonely birds warm each other in an unfamiliar habitat,

None of them belong there, So staying together all the time, there is a special bond between the two birds.

However, since 2013, the Caribbean friend of No. 492 has disappeared, and

Over the years, there has never been a new partner by his side.

However, in the time when people don't see it, maybe 492 has made new friends and is not alone,

It is likely to move around, looking for Another flock of birds,

Because flamingos have a strong breeding urge at certain times of the year....

Do the math, No. 492 is in her early 20s this year,

And wild flamingos usually live around 40 years old, and they still have a lot of good years to enjoy.

After learning that No. 492 was out,

Sedgwick County Zoo was very generous, very happy that it was doing well, and repeatedly emphasized: If If you love it, let it go,

They decided early on that once 492 had a new life, the zoo wouldn't bring it back,

It's in There's no harm to the ecosystem or anything, it's not a nuisance,

Flamingos are very non-aggressive birds.

staff He also instructed that, in addition to any potential bad weather,

the real threat to No. 492 would be humans,

If people get too close, they want to capture or Injure it in some way and you threaten it.

If you see Pink Floyd, you can look at it from a distance, take a picture, but keep your distance,

We don't want it to feel threatened and end up hurting itself, or being hurt by others.

No. 492 found off the Texas coast in 2019

Having said that, although David has not seen a flamingo since the beginning of March, the experience has left him unforgettable:

“This is nature telling people not to be arrogant.

For years, you've been telling people that there are no flamingos in Texas,

But, pop, there's such a big flamingo right in front of you!

There's a flamingo in the south of Texas, you say, who would have thought of that.