Adelaide Zoo Shock over bashing of rarest flamingo

Simon Hampel

Simon Hampel

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AdelaideNow... Shock over Adelaide Zoo bashing of rarest flamingo

A BLIND flamingo believed to be one of the oldest in the world is in a critical condition after being bashed at Adelaide Zoo.
Four teenagers have been charged after visitors reported an incident to zoo staff that has left the unnamed male greater flamingo, aged about 78, "extremely stressed".

Zoo staff said it appeared to have been beaten.

It was taken to the zoo's animal hospital, where it remained under the close watch of keepers in a critical condition last night. The zoo has reported this morning that the bird is responding well to care and it is hoped he will pull through.

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Having a particular interest in these two flamingos, I'm gutted.

Apart from the sheer moronic inhumanity of the act, flamingos in Australia are irreplaceable and literally worth their weight in gold!

If these guys are guilty, it had better be jail time, not just some pissy fine.
 
taronga and Adelaide and they are our last.

Its very sad... THe fence is only about 30cm high so doesnt even have a gate, its a shame really you have nice low fence so people can see and this is what happens
 
Its very very sad when we have some teens who would bash a 78 year old bird. it's a crazy act for any one to do
 
He is doing well this afternoon, and they expect him to recover. I think it makes it ten times worse that he was such a trusting bird, how could they have done this.
 
Jo said:
He is doing well this afternoon, and they expect him to recover. I think it makes it ten times worse that he was such a trusting bird, how could they have done this.
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I hope he recovers. I'm amazed to hear of a Flamingo reaching such a great age though geese, to which Flamingoes may have some relationship I think, can be very long lived.

Do they know for sure he is that old and its not a confusion of their records?
 
His age is more or less confirmed by the fact that there has been no importation of the species since 1933. (Importations were in 1919, 1925, 1930 and 1933.)
It is assumed he was a 1933 bird, but there's no way of knowing. He could be even older.
 
A bit more on the history of this bird; he is the last of a total of 51 which were imported by Adelaide before the ban came into place. (Last importation was 1933.)
Most of them didn't last too long. By 1941 there were only 2 left. I don't know when the other one died, but it was still alive and healthy in 1978.
 
Ara said:
A bit more on the history of this bird; he is the last of a total of 51 which were imported by Adelaide before the ban came into place. (Last importation was 1933.)
Most of them didn't last too long. By 1941 there were only 2 left. I don't know when the other one died, but it was still alive and healthy in 1978.
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i think it might still be there becuase the article says something about his friend looking for him and being distressed also
 
Ara said:
It is assumed he was a 1933 bird, but there's no way of knowing. He could be even older.
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It is a pity Thylacines weren't so long lived- otherwise something could have been done for the last ones in Hobart Zoo perhaps.;)
 
No, he is the last Greater flamingo in Australia. His friend is a Chilean flamingo, who arrived in Australia in 1948.
80 Chilean flamingos were brought in by Taronga in 1948. Four of those were given to Adelaide.
There are just two of those 80 left; one at Taronga and one at Adelaide.
A total ban on bird importation in 1952 meant no more flamingos can be brought in.
There are now just one Greater flamingo and two Chilean flamingos left in Australia. When they die; thats it! All over!
 
Ara said:
No, he is the last Greater flamingo in Australia. His friend is a Chilean flamingo, who arrived in Australia in 1948.
80 Chilean flamingos were brought in by Taronga in 1948. Four of those were given to Adelaide.
There are just two of those 80 left; one at Taronga and one at Adelaide.
A total ban on bird importation in 1952 meant no more flamingos can be brought in.
There are now just one Greater flamingo and two Chilean flamingos left in Australia. When they die; thats it! All over!
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Ara did they ever breed here in Aust?
 
Bashed flamingo back with mate in Adelaide zoo | The Australian
THE flamingo that was bashed at Adelaide Zoo returned to its enclosure yesterday, still unsteady on its legs but otherwise on the way to recovery.

The half-blind greater flamingo, one of the oldest in the world at over 70 years of age, was beaten around the head and beak during an attack on Wednesday that provoked public outrage. Four youths, aged 17 to 19, have been charged by police with animal cruelty.

Greater, as the injured flamingo is known, was welcomed back by its "other half", a Chilean flamingo that has been its constant companion for the past half-century. The birds' handlers feared the Chilean would have gone into decline without its friend.

"I think it's very important they are back together. You can hear them calling to each other and that just shows that the bond is still there," senior birdkeeper Brett Backhouse said. "They feed off each other a lot. Yesterday, we were saying that they were very quiet, but they are talking to each other now and you could probably call that happiness."

Family First state MP Dennis Hood said juveniles accused of violent crimes should be "named and shamed" rather than have their identities shielded by the courts.

The flamingos are so docile they linger at the edge of their open enclosure, where they can be photographed.

Their handlers say they do not know whether the bashing of Greater will cause the birds to keep their distance from visitors.

Greater arrived at the zoo in the 1930s, followed by the Chilean a decade later, and they are among the zoo's top drawcards.
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The television news last night showed footage of the Flamingo as he once more went into his usual enclosure and sporting a few bruises and sores. His companion is still well and truly alive and they look after each other. I understand that the victim is blind (in one eye I think) and the other Flamingo is deaf.

My most recent visit to Adelaide zoo was a few days before the incident. Here is a link to my blog showing a photo I took then:
Flamingo bashed at Adelaide Zoo
 
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