Marching Flamingos
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Tue 12 Apr 2011 21:40
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The Marching
Flamingos
      If you go onto
YouTube and type in 'Marching Flamingos' or 'World Famous Marching Flamingos'
and watch the various video clips - it does just look like a man in uniform
running around after a small flock of flamingos. However it is the nearest we
have got to these most amazing coloured birds. Yes of course we clapped to
order. The birds had to march one way, then the other and to the command "step
it up" had to run faster. The zoo worker on the microphone told us the age
ranges of the birds was from eight month to forty three years old. Perhaps the
younger ones were the ones not knowing right from left and doing a bit of
packing as they went. We were told that they have total protection as they were
hunted almost to extinction for their meat and they live much longer in
captivity than in the wild. Their usual lifespan is twenty to thirty but in
captivity up to fifty years.
  
   Now my
thrill of the day came when audience members were invited in to the arena, taught to stand like a flamingo - to attract their
attention - and see who came over for a closer look. Bear
lifted his gouty ankle and he did well. A couple of other humans did a
poor job by comparison. I was given time to take pictures and was chuffed to
bits.
    A bit more marching and exit stage right
  We followed them,
knowing it was safe to get really close, some went straight
for a paddle...........
 .........one nestled to catch some zeds, clearly
exhausted
  Some went to forage, quite a sight on dry
land
 We went back to check on our mate and you could almost hear
the snoring
 ALL IN ALL SUCH PINK FEATHERS AND BEAR SUCH A SUCCESS WITH THE
BIRDS.........
CHEEKY - ANOTHER NEW EXPERIENCE - POSING FOR
FLAMINGOS..........
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