TAMPA, FL — A 45-year-old Orlando man faces felony animal cruelty charges after Tampa Police say he grabbed Pinky, Busch Gardens' dancing flamingo, and threw her to the ground. The flamingo suffered serious injuries and had to be euthanized by park officials, police say.



The incident that led to Joseph Anthony Corrao's arrest occurred around 6:44 p.m. Tuesday. Tampa Police say Corrao was visiting the Tampa theme park with his family, including his mother, brother and three teenage children. While in the park's Jambo Junction animal viewing area, Corrao is accused of reaching into the animal pen and picking up a flamingo. Police say Corrao set that bird down uninjured, but then picked up Pinky.

"Witnesses and his mother told him to leave the flamingos alone," an email from the police department said. "Witnesses said Corrao then threw the flamingo to the ground, causing serious injury to the flamingo whose foot was nearly severed." Pinky suffered serious injuries, police said, and had to be euthanized. Pinky, a Chilean flamingo, was one of the park's "animal ambassadors." She was known to dance for park visitors, a performance often captured on video.

"Like all flamingos, she loves warm, tropical weather," Busch Gardens said of Pinky on its YouTube channel in 2011. "However, unlike wild flamingos, and even our other flamingo ambassadors, Pinky loves to dance for our guests! Her keepers say that this is not a trained behavior, but a natural behavior she loves to show off." Corrao was charged with felony animal cruelty following the incident. He was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail Tuesday and remained there Wednesday in lieu of $2,000 bond.

Jambo Junction is an area of Busch Gardens where animal ambassadors, such as lemurs, sloths, opossums and Caribbean flamingos, are on display. Busch Gardens issued the following statement after Pinky's death: