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I was incensed when I read this: I love those flamingos! They’re the oldest in captivity in the world, and some kids thought it was a good idea to attack the 73 year old bird! He’s beautiful and very tame, having lived most of his life in the open flamingo exhibit. I hope he pulls through.

Callie Watson (reporter)

October 30, 2008 10:20am

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.

The animal, which arrived at zoo in the 1930s, shares its enclosure with a Chilean flamingo that arrived in the 1940s. Because of modern-day importation laws, the birds cannot be replaced.

The pair are one of the most popular and loved zoo exhibits and zoo communications manager Belinda Redman said there were concerns for the welfare of the second bird.

“It’s the first night it’s spent alone since arriving at the zoo and keepers are very worried about how it will cope,” she said.

She described the injured bird as “tame and docile”.

“Because it had lived its entire life at the zoo, it wasn’t afraid of the public,” she said.

“It used to stand quite close to the edge of the exhibit and I guess that was part of its charm.

“It’s managed to go 70 years without anything like this occurring and to know that this has happened is just unthinkable.”

Police yesterday arrested and charged four teenagers, aged between 17 and 19, from Broadview, Enfield, Payneham and Campbelltown with the aggravated ill-treatment of an animal.

They will appear in the Adelaide Youth Magistrates Court at a later date.

Police have urged any zoo visitors who witnessed the alleged attack to contact BankSA Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

In 2003, the zoo’s then acting director, Mark Craig, told the Herald Sun the birds had “an extraordinary lifespan for any animal, let alone a bird”. “If you look at the way they relate to each other there is a love ethos there – they’ve only got one good eye between them and they guide each other around,” Mr Craig said.

Zoo birdkeeper Nicholas Bishop said that it was impossible to know their precise ages and sexes.

“But I think he is the oldest in the world,” Mr Bishop said at the time.

“About 1936 is the last record I can find in the zoo’s history book of the greater flamingo arriving at the zoo and we have received international correspondence from other zoos saying they also believe he is the oldest in captivity.