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Is flamingo 492 still alive?

492 Is Still on the Run 17 Years Later. A fisherman's sighting in March confirmed that a flamingo that fled a Kansas zoo in 2005 has defied the odds to live a Pixar-worthy life in the wilds of Texas.



As of the most recent sightings in late 2025 and early 2026, Flamingo 492 (also known as "Pink Floyd") is believed to still be alive and thriving in the wild. This famous Greater Flamingo escaped from the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas, during a storm in 2005 and has been living as a "fugitive" in the United States for over two decades. Because flamingos can live for 40 to 60 years in the wild, 492 is currently in the prime of its life. It is most frequently spotted in the coastal wetlands of Texas, particularly around Rhodes Point and Cox Bay, often seen hanging out with a "buddy" (a Caribbean flamingo that likely arrived from Mexico). The bird is easily identifiable by the plastic leg band "492" that remains from its zoo days. Despite its exotic origin, the bird has successfully adapted to the Texas Gulf Coast ecosystem, surviving several major hurricanes and winter freezes. Its story has become a legend among birdwatchers, who track its movements with "citizen science" reports, celebrating the bird's resilience and its unintended journey from a Kansas enclosure to a life of total freedom on the open coast.

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