Disappearance of Baby Flamingos at Fla. Race Track Is Being Investigated as a Crime Wildlife investigators reportedly have evidence that the birds were stolen.

 -- A case of missing flamingos from a racetrack in Florida has now turned into a criminal investigation.

About 40 to 50 baby flamingos disappeared from Hialeah Park sometime between Monday evening and Tuesday morning, ABC affiliate WPLG-TV in Miami reported, adding that wildlife investigators have evidence that the birds were stolen.

Jorge Pino of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said everything points to theft. "Now, it's a matter of proving that it did occur, and how it occurred and who did it," he said.

Investigators said the flamingos can be worth between $500 and $1,000 each on the black market.

Hialeah Park Vice President Dennis Testa described the flamingos’ disappearance from the race track as devastating. “This is our history, our legacy out here. The birds have been here forever."

Testa, who said he has been at the park since 1958 and never lost a bird, added he is unsure how and why the perpetrators committed the act.

The state’s Pino blamed a thriving exotic pet trade. "It's a very profitable thing to be involved in if you're a thief,” he said.