A flamingo expert says she has hope for a missing bird from a wildlife park in Cornwall.
Frankie the flamingo escaped from a walled garden at Paradise Park in Hayle on Sunday morning.
Dr Caitlin Knight, a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter, who wrote a book on flamingos, said the birds were “more resilient than we might think”, and that, as Frankie had clipped wings to prevent far flight, he may not travel too far.
Park staff said on social media on Tuesday morning that they were asking people in the Newlyn and Marazion areas, near Penzance, “to keep an eye out for Frankie as we have sightings of her there and could do with more eyes”.
Dr Knight said: “Flamingos in general can fly hundreds of killometres, they can cross the continent of Africa.
“I’m from the USA and we have lots of reports of flamingos that have gone missing from parks and then they’ve shown up after years and years of living in the wild.
“We have good evidence that flamingos are actually quite hardy.
“They may be a bit lonely if they’re the only ones out there, but they can survive.”
Frankie was hatched in July and is the first chick to hatch from her nest and be reared by her parents at the park.
Director Nick Reynolds said: “There’s no news as of Monday I’m afraid.
“We are still hoping for something good today, a clear sighting.
“If you see a tall bird with really long legs and a bent-over beak, rather than a straight beak, then call us.”
