3 min read Flamingo Decides He Doesn't Like Zoo And Runs Away It's been 13 years and he's thriving in the wild ❤

More than a decade after making his daring escape from life in captivity at a Kansas zoo, a runaway flamingo has been spotted alive and free in the wild. And best of all, he seems to be thriving.

Texas Parks And Wildlife Coastal Fisheries Division

In 2005, the feathered fugitive, dubbed No. 492, managed to fly away from the Sedgwick County Zoo after staffers there reportedly failed to clip his wings. The flamingo was at the zoo for several years by then, having been transported there from his native Africa, and had apparently had enough. Initially, keepers attempted to recapture 492, but they were unable. Since then, the flamingo has been spotted several times. In 2013, he was even spotted with a flamingo companion on the coast of Texas. This most recent sighting of 492 occurred in May, also in Texas. In announcing the discovery, Texas Parks and Wildlife hailed the bird as “legendary.”

Texas Parks And Wildlife Coastal Fisheries Division