A flamingo who escaped a Kansas zoo in 2005 has been spotted on the Texas coast this week.
The bird, originally from Tanzania, was seen near the Lavaca Bay by Texas Parks and Wildlife workers.
The African flamingo escaped from the Sedgwick County Zoo in Witchita, Kansas in 2005 when zookeepers failed to clip its wings, Texas Parks and Wildlife said. It has been spotted in several states since its escape, including Wisconsin and Louisiana, zoo officials told Reuters.
The more white-than-pink bird is recognized by a leg band with its zoo-assigned number, 492.
In 2013, No. 492 was spotted in 2013 by birder Neil Hayward in the Port Lavaca area.
No. 492 is often spotted with another flamingo friend, a Yucatan-born Caribbean flamingo with a band reading "HDNT," according to the Kansas City Star.
The bird was brought to the zoo in 2002 from Africa along with 39 other flamingos.
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