'Curious' flamingo chick escapes from zoo

Staff from Paignton Zoo said the escaped flamingo was four months old

A four-month-old flamingo chick has escaped from a zoo in Devon.

Paignton Zoo said on Facebook the "curious" bird had "decided that it wanted to explore the local area".

Staff said they wanted to reunite the flamingo with its family and appealed for any sightings of the bird to be reported to the wildlife park.

"We take our duty of care very seriously and are committed to the welfare of all our animals," a spokesperson said.

The zoo said the four-month-old bird was "starting to fledge"

The spokesperson said: "We can confirm that one of our flamingo chicks is missing from Paignton Zoo.

"As this chick is only four months old, we are very keen to reunite it with its family.

"At this age flamingos are just starting to fledge, testing its wings and experimenting, which is what led to this curious chick finding its way out of its exhibit."

'No confirmed sightings'

The zoo said flamingos were "social species and thrive within our collection. Our oldest flamingo being 55 years old, which is why we are keen to bring the chick back to its family".

"As soon as we were aware we searched the local area, particularly those areas with water, and asked local residents to keep a look out," the spokesperson said.

"At the moment we have had no confirmed sightings and are aware of the young age of the chick and the dangers of the external world.

"If anyone spots the flamingo chick, which is mostly grey, with pink feathers beginning to appear, please contact us directly on 01803 697500."