Hey Austin, I'm David Foreman. So cool that you made a video about my flamingo sighting. I had no idea how big of a deal my video was going to be, but I did interviews with the NY Times and a lot of other news agencies. Last time I saw him was about 3hrs after I took those two videos on my way back to the boat launch. He was still just hanging out on the point.
You never know when things like this will happen. When you think something will be big; nothing happens; then a curious incident happens and it goes viral.
@@andrewbrown6522 we woke him up, and I'm pretty sure he was trying to get away from us without having to fly off. That's why the video is short and shaky. I was zoomed in 10x trying not to disturb the birds on the point. We left the area right after the video ended.
To think, a flamingo, somewhere out there. Just hanging about, nowhere near home. Technically on the run. Nick name Pink Floyd. Man, what a time to be alive.
Who is Nick and why is he naming things? Or is this the semi-illiterate way of attempting to write "nickname"? You also seem to not know the difference between commas and periods.
I live in Wisconsin. Years ago I thought I saw a flamingo but convinced myself that it couldn't possibly be, and that it was probably some weird Canadian goose or something. Maybe an Albino. Knowing this and that the flamingos were in Wisconsin at some point, I'm starting to wonder if I really did see 492.
That's exactly how I felt when I saw Green Parrots south of London. Turns out yup they exist and about a decade later, they'd expanded further in, nearly to the Thames. I honestly thought I was hallucinating them!
@@Automedon2 Monk parakeets (aka "quakers") inhabit several metropolitan areas of the United States. There've been breeding colonies in N.Y.C, and Chicago since the late seventies. Nothing new.
He still has time to make it back to Tanzania. Honestly, crossing the Atlantic is not that difficult. Trick is the winds won't get him to a good place in Africa.
Are we not gonna talk about the fact two of his companions have mysteriously disappeared? There is a possibility he's a serial killer crisscrossing the US looking for his next victim!
We should talk about the fact that this feels like a pixar movie and then imagine at the end of a pixar movie about a fucking flamingo that escapes prison it ends with a title card that says based on a true story.
Well, when they make the movie about this Flamingo, the scene with Flamingo No. 347 freezing in the snow as they say their final good byes is going to be a tear jerker.
I’m surprised he’s been able to get enough compatibly edible food, although evidently not enough brine shrimp, as he’s noticeably quite white. Flamingo are clearly adaptable enough that if a whole flock had escaped, we’d probably have them all over by now.
I'd be untrusting too if another species kidnapped me from my home, family, and everyone I've ever known, shipped me across the world, just so I could live in a cage IN KANSAS
I just spent 10 minutes furiously googling because I could have sworn "Flamingo No...something" was a song I vaguely remembered the title of, and I figured the video would be about the song. That was very incorrect. Love Potion No.9, maybe mixed with some Mambo No.5
It’s even crazier when you realize that this isn’t the first time this has happened. Back in 1988 a similar situation happened in Utah, and flamingo known as Pink Floyd escape an aviary in Salt Lake City, he was later spotted at the great salt lake every year till 2005 he’s now memorialize in several places throughout the city.
@@margaritatabellini8806 now i want zoos to name flamingos pink floid and i also want all those birds to excape so as to make a legend about the pink floid flamingo and how flamingos pass down the "title" to every generation of thier kinds
He was hanging out on a really popular bird point when I took that video. It's not a great place to eat, so I assume he was there for social reasons. There were about a dozen white pelicans, several gulls, but he was closest to the small terns sleeping on one leg when I first saw him. Looked like a poof ball on a stick. About 3hrs later he was still on that point hanging out near the pelicans.
@@HurtsEnd I think they might understand each other. My exotic South American bird as a kid used to be able to call over common doves and pigeons or squawk to get them away. Not to mention I’ve seen African Grays talking to budgies and finches. So I’d say they most likely can
I have a tagged registered parrot that I intentionally didn't clip his wings because although they grow back i feel it killed his spirit because ive allowed him to fly around the house since he was just born. One day i had a few beers and while quickly letting the dog in, the bird flew out the door. I genuinely held back tears as i searched for him until around 5am as the sun was coming up. I somehow fell asleep until 6:30 when i have to get up for work. I ran outside and started calling him and heard a reply. Me and my bird are very close. I called again and heard him again. I got closer. At some point im way down the road in front of someone else's house and i was startled by him flying directly on my shoulder. No clue where he flew from i was just glad to have him back. Hes on my shoulder watching me type this now. Hes the most smart and mischievous bird i have ever came across. He can let himself out of his cage causing me to have to put a childs lock on it. I genuinely think that he thinks im his pet, not the other way around. Birds are incredible creatures. Seriously.
Chances are higher he thinks you're his mate. Btw, a lot of parrot like birds want to return home after flying away, but not knowing the environment, they simply get lost.
@@harrynac6017 im pretty sure you're right. In his mind, im his pet. Its like how parrots have seemingly no fear. All the species in the parrot family will never back down and will buck up to things that can easily kill them. A conure will intentionally pick at cats for fun. They will get themselves killed by their confidence alone.
I'm not over the fact that he met ANOTHER fugitive flamingo, A DIFFERENT KIND OF FUGITIVE FLAMINGO and was spotted with him multiple times!!!!!!! that's some disney movie shit right there
Flamingos have been my favorite animal since I was a little girl, 8 years old, when I saw one, up close, in person. I'm 31 now and have been so happy over the recent craze of them in the last years, finally finding my favorite thing on all my favorite kind of things! This video is amazing and so entertaining. Thank you, Austin.
SCP 492 Class: Safe Containment procedure: SCP 492 is currently uncontained Description: SCP 492 is a anomalous flamingo currently located in Texas. The Flamingo was originally captured at [REDACTED] and brought to [REDACTED] Zoo prior to escaping. SCP 492 is otherwise a normal flamingo until it is left alone. Upon being left alone the flamingo manifests another flamingo designated as SCP 492-1. 492 seems only to manifest them for a few years at most before they demanifest.
@@cometaHavoc there are uncontained safe classes, seeing as I wrote this out to be just a flamingo who manifests friends for itself and stays away from people I don't think it'd get anything higher then safe
Oh my gosh I live in Wichita Kansas, I remember hearing about their great escape! I was very much in support of their journey, they deserved a happy life.
Even if you may not know it, you're a legend among flamingokind, and countless humans are rooting for you across the internet. Shine on, you crazy diamond.
@@RufusMufus159 Damn it, foiled by my complete lack of knowledge on bands and musical artists once again. It's been changed. All credit and imaginary Internet points go to this guy.
Zoos provide a valuable service to conservation efforts and animal science in general but I thought we've mostly moved beyond incarcerating wild caught creatures? Ideally all zoo occupants should be captive bred unless the animal in question is endangered to be used to potential breeding programs to reintroduce its offspring into the wild or other research efforts to help the species. This story is a perfect example of why keeping wild caught birds is a **bad** idea and morally questionable. There's massive numbers of captive flamingos in US zoos and I'm sure they need to unload excess hatchlings from time to time - why did the Whichita zoo contract with some shady wildlife procurers in Tanzania to obtain the flock? So they could create an exhibit instantly?
This was back in 2003. Nearly 20 years ago. Most zoos now have policies about only taking animals bred in other zoos or rescued from exotic pet owners. Exotic pet rescues tend to be too comfortable around humans to be safely reintroduce back into the wild. If an animal is taken from the wild it's supposed to be because the animal has a birth defect or injury that would make it impossible to survive in the wild. Albinos for example rarely live to adulthood in the wild because they can't hide from predators or hunt prey. But generally those are moved to reservations in the respective country not exported to America
@@AdeonWriter Birds live significantly longer than mammals at all size ranges. This is why a parrot can live longer than a human, and a backyard bird like a chickadee can live for ten years in the wild, but mice rarely live past a couple even in captivity. Lifespan also correlates with the length of time it takes a young animal to mature, generally, but birds in general also age more slowly. The oldest known flamingo was supposedly 83. I had a 20 year old chicken, and I've had several others reach 15-18 years.
Now I want to write a story about them escaping, running away as lovers. Sadly, 347 doesn't last too long, possibly eaten while she's sleeping or when she's too cold to fly away. 492 carries on alone, looking for meaning in the world, and encounters another flamingo. They the are friends for a while, but part ways, perhaps with the other meeting a tragic end. I don't know what would be a satisfactory ending, though. Maybe he just sets off into the world to find another friend to spend time with, waiting tentatively until the time they, too, are taken from him.
I don't think anyone could have written a more compelling story if they tried. From breaking out on independence day to losing his partner in crime to vibing wherever he pleases. Truly an inspiration Shine on you crazy diamond
There’s another story about an escaped flamingo who is also nicknamed Pink Floyd! This one escaped the Tracy Aviary (Salt Lake City, UT) in 1988 due to the staff forgetting to clip the wings. He hung around the Great Salt Lake every once in awhile and was last seen in Idaho in 2005.
So I’ve lived in a suburban area by Lake Houston Texas my whole life and I swear I’ve spotted a flamingo multiple times a few years ago. I would say the estimated time range would be 2010-2017;however, since Hurricane Harvey I haven’t seen the flamingo. I don’t know if this is the same one that has been captured on camera or it’s friend. I have no evidence though as I thought it was just a bird that looked similar to a flamingo.
I’ve seen a group of three flamingos 🦩 🦩🦩 hanging out with a bunch of spoonbills on South Padre. I might have a photograph somewhere, this was probably 2008 or so. I talked to a biologist and he said that the coast was the far northern portion of the native range for flamingos from central and South America.
@@ScotchIrishHoundsman People from up north commonly think Spoonbills are flamingoes. It doesn't help that actual flamingoes from South America sometimes show up.
I was surprised to hear my home zoo named. Wichita doesn’t come up much. It’s strange to think that I probably saw him as a kid in the early 2000s. I hope he keeps on doing well. It’s certainly better there than in landlocked Kansas.
Same!! Wichita was always a lackluster topic & nothing exciting or of note really happens here very often. When I seen Wichita pop up I audibly gasped lol
@@trulyjaada yes but at least witchita has things to do around there we drove hours to get to witchita as a kid because in SW Kansas there is absolutely nothing but wheat and cows
Cool, now DO NOT EVER PAY FOR A ZOO TICKET AGAIN. At least not from this godawful prison... this zoo is obviously paying for animals to be stolen from the wild for your entertainment, and supporting it would mean that it's now YOUR personal fault that these animals are being kept in miserable cages thousands of miles away from their home & family, for no other reason than to get you to buy a ticket.
Lol here in Florida we have the opposite problem too much shit happens were on the news every 5 minutes I mean Florida man ain't a joke people It really do be like that
THIS MAKES SO MUCH SENSE. When I was a little kid around 15-17 years ago, I saw this thing at the Texas City Dike in the city of Texas City where I grew up. I didn’t know what it was and assumed it was an ostrich. Ostrich makes no logical sense and well, this thing could fly, so when I told people, I was heavily ridiculed. I even got in trouble by one of my teachers for telling people what I saw because they swore I was lying. You can ask anybody I know, I’ve been telling this story for over 15 years now. Now that I’m older, I know it was a flamingo. But I haven’t come across any story to back up what I saw that day at the beach. Until now! I know some folks from Port Lavaca, I’ll have to ask if they’ve seen anything similar.
@@austinmcconnell 'Ive called you all here for a very important reason. You've all had these so called 'heroes' up in your feathers for quite a while. How many times has Atlas flaunted his powers only for the Hood to fly the coop. The way I see it, the sooner we flock together, the sooner these heroes will be... Plucked.'
as someone who regularly watches dark mystery content, this made me smile SO BIG. presenting this story in this format is hilarious, such a good choice. what a great story! thanks for telling it.
Okay, first up: Why did I just watch a 7 minute video about a flamingo... and enjoy it? Second, the animation graphics are getting much better! Keep it up dude!
this may sound absurd but I believe I may have spotted 492 at a friends birthday party. One day in late 2021 - early 2022 my friend was hosting a paintball game for his birthday party. As stereotypically texan as it sounds this was my first time playing paintball, so i was exited. After a few hours of playing we decided to take a break. We were in a large gravel lot playing some kind of ball game when somebody yelled, "is that a flamingo" I had never really looked at a flamingo before but this had to be one. It has similar coloration to 492, with long legs and a sharp beak. We all stared at it for a few seconds then went back to our game. I never thought about it until now. crazyyy
Surprised I cant find the idea of catching him and bringing him back to tanzania to his mates because he got 20 more years left. I mean, I think he kind of deserves it. Funded through kickstarter/patreon. Would support this.
God, I love it how you always dig out this relativly obscure stories! 😁 they are so interesting, and you and your team tell them so well, both with the visuals and the narration! My favourite so far was the story about the bestseller that didn't exist 📖
When you first said amputate, I thought you meant clipped, and I was gonna correct you. But then when you distinguished it from clipping I realized what you meant, and that's _horrifying_. As an aviculturalist myself I could never imagine doing that to any of my beloved birds. Clipping is bad enough but at least the wings grow back from that!
According to an interview with the curator of the zoo in New York Times, they were still under the observation of park officials when they were at the drainage canal.
As to why they didn't capture them on site, well, probably they didn't have right equipment to capture them. Net probably would hurt them, and sleeping dart probably aren't available for flamingos.
How neat, this reminds me of another story i saw about a guy who had swans live on his rooftop every year during mating season, he'd see them for a few weeks at a time or so, every single year and they always came back to his specific house. It was very interesting.
I've seen this story pop up on several different sites lately and while I got the general gist your story telling and the addition of the finer details really fleshed out the story of the fugitive flamingo. While I don't know much about flamingos I am impressed by 492's loner streak. Typically when I hear an animal is "social" I usually assume their mental health is badly impacted by going it alone but 492 seems to be thriving without the company of his fellow flamingos. You mentioned the spoonbills and now I wondering if they've adopted him into their flock in some capacity.
Spoonbills and Flamingos eat the same food. They strain little arthropods and plants out of silt. Floyd probably learned fast that he can forage where spoonbills forage.
I love learning about these things going on in the world. They're such great conversation starters, too. "Did you hear about that fugitive flamingo? Did you hear about the cobra crisis?"
in a time where zoos are at the forefront of responsible animal education and conservation during a mass extinction event, I don't appreciate zoos being villainized in this telling of the story.
I love the originality, using a yellow circle instead of a red circle fr though all of those videos you make are very good and well researched. And they're free to watch too. Well done Austin
NO WAYYY. I read an article on this a few weeks ago(April 1st to be exact), and thought it was just a joke... If you didn't make this video I would have never known this was real!
My mom and I saw two flamingos fly overhead while we were in the car today, it’s funny that this was recommended to me. I don’t think they normally live in the northern part of Florida? I wonder if they flew out from the zoo.
So sad that we don’t know what the fait of flamingo 347. 492 must feel really sad that his partner in crime is gone and likely never coming back. At least he made new friends and is living a happy life in Texas
This Flamingo is almost certainly a stand user. Like, c'mon... 「Pink Floyd」... He's not even trying to hide it. Someone call the Speedwagon Foundation.
This title popped up in my YT feed a few times a day. I was not going to watch a vid with this title. Finally, I gave in. It was worth every minute! Thanks, Austin (I should've known).
Huh. Wait that means the “wild flamingo” I saw as a kid was actually 492! No one believed me cause we’re in Louisiana. I had actually convinced myself I imagined it.
if 482 only knew...there is (or, at least, was, can't quite confirm if they're still there) a flock of flamingos who live(d?) at Hialeah race track in Florida, if he was able to fly across the Gulf of Mexico, or over LA, MS, AL, and down into FL (they may be Caribbeans, but close enough)
I'M MAKING A MOVIE: bit.ly/GOATLAS
Noice
Nice!!
Austin McConnell
I'm really excited to see it.
Poggers
Hey Austin, I'm David Foreman. So cool that you made a video about my flamingo sighting. I had no idea how big of a deal my video was going to be, but I did interviews with the NY Times and a lot of other news agencies. Last time I saw him was about 3hrs after I took those two videos on my way back to the boat launch. He was still just hanging out on the point.
You never know when things like this will happen. When you think something will be big; nothing happens; then a curious incident happens and it goes viral.
That's pretty awesome. 492 really did just wanna flex on you tho
Is the vid a TikTok one? (because I don't see it on your channel...)
Was it fishing when running back and forth?
@@andrewbrown6522 we woke him up, and I'm pretty sure he was trying to get away from us without having to fly off. That's why the video is short and shaky. I was zoomed in 10x trying not to disturb the birds on the point. We left the area right after the video ended.
"the flockless flamingo isn't just lost... he's a fugitive." I have never been more excited by a plot twist in my life
To be honest, when I heard that I assumed he did something to the flock and ran away...
It's a bit of a call back to America's disgusting history to called an escaped slave a fugitive to be honest. Very iffy.
He's a freedom fighter
It's a great perspective
@@cookeymonster83 libral detected
To think, a flamingo, somewhere out there. Just hanging about, nowhere near home. Technically on the run. Nick name Pink Floyd. Man, what a time to be alive.
i think we should repatriate him back to tanzania....send him home
I see what you did there…atleast most of it XD
Who is Nick and why is he naming things?
Or is this the semi-illiterate way of attempting to write "nickname"? You also seem to not know the difference between commas and periods.
@@DaveTexas bro it's just a wrongly placed space, it's not important
@@DaveTexas I used to be just like you. Then something happened, no one liked me. I hope soon you come to the same conclusion, you prick. Good day.
I live in Wisconsin. Years ago I thought I saw a flamingo but convinced myself that it couldn't possibly be, and that it was probably some weird Canadian goose or something. Maybe an Albino.
Knowing this and that the flamingos were in Wisconsin at some point, I'm starting to wonder if I really did see 492.
That’s a cool story! You can tell people about it lol. I bet it would be a great icebreaker
That's exactly how I felt when I saw Green Parrots south of London. Turns out yup they exist and about a decade later, they'd expanded further in, nearly to the Thames. I honestly thought I was hallucinating them!
Pink Floyd. Please call him by his nickname
@@Automedon2 Monk parakeets (aka "quakers") inhabit several metropolitan areas of the United States. There've been breeding colonies in N.Y.C, and Chicago since the late seventies. Nothing new.
There were albino squirrels in the neighborhood I lived in during college. Like tiny little polar bears, Canada's is terrifying.
can't believe this flamingo has basically gone through the hero's journey
@M That's the clever subversion of expectations
@M His home is the wilderness
He still has time to make it back to Tanzania. Honestly, crossing the Atlantic is not that difficult. Trick is the winds won't get him to a good place in Africa.
@M foreshadowing
It's just like the Odyssey, but in this case humans are the monsters.
Are we not gonna talk about the fact two of his companions have mysteriously disappeared? There is a possibility he's a serial killer crisscrossing the US looking for his next victim!
The serial killler is likely a car.
@darkx2 imagine there’s some guy in a car chasing around this flamingo to run over all of his friends
So my deep dark thoughts are echoed by another. Interesting.
Damn, literally made me laugh out loud. Good job!
hilarious
We should talk about the fact that this feels like a pixar movie and then imagine at the end of a pixar movie about a fucking flamingo that escapes prison it ends with a title card that says based on a true story.
That would be awesome 😎
That would be a great movie. It's funny you say that though cuz I kinda got a Pixar cartoon vibe while watching this video.
naming the movie "492" or "flamingo 492" would be so cool.... i really want this to be a thing now
Same. 492... based on a true story. I'd watch that.
Man the whole time watching this I was like what the flying Fish why isn't this a movie yet.
Well, when they make the movie about this Flamingo, the scene with Flamingo No. 347 freezing in the snow as they say their final good byes is going to be a tear jerker.
The fact that they flew away during independence day is perfect
Was it actually? I thought he was just restating that, that day they gained complete independence because they were no longer hiding.
That's the real reason why we celebrate the holiday
But he isn't American! He's an immigrant! #BuildTheWall #AndRoof #TrumpForever
@@DoubsGaming you from usa? Cause july 4th is was the “founding” of the usa and an American holiday
He's mocking us and our ways.
I’m surprised he’s been able to get enough compatibly edible food, although evidently not enough brine shrimp, as he’s noticeably quite white. Flamingo are clearly adaptable enough that if a whole flock had escaped, we’d probably have them all over by now.
Well there are Caribbean flamingo species. I was wondering if a hybrid species was possible. But I guess that would of happened by now if it was.
There surprisingly hardy animals lol
*theyre
@@livynotlivi8665 *They're
@@TheRayfield77 would have
"for the most part 492 appears to distrust humans" i mean.. i can't blame him.
I'd be untrusting too if another species kidnapped me from my home, family, and everyone I've ever known, shipped me across the world, just so I could live in a cage IN KANSAS
That's a whole mood and I can relate.
@@ACDBunnie I'd be fine with most of that, but anything but KANSAS! Please, anywhere else!
That's good instincts.
I mean, I distrust humans, too.
I just spent 10 minutes furiously googling because I could have sworn "Flamingo No...something" was a song I vaguely remembered the title of, and I figured the video would be about the song. That was very incorrect. Love Potion No.9, maybe mixed with some Mambo No.5
492 and 347's Steps to Freedom:
STEP 1: SECURE THE FEATHERS
STEP 2: ASCEND FROM DARKNESS
nice reference
I got chills down my spine
in the Zoo we are all brothers
492: "Your turn. Come on! Step 8, Freedom!"
347: "For you Floyd, not for me!"
@@Kikker861 saddest moment in gaming history
It’s even crazier when you realize that this isn’t the first time this has happened. Back in 1988 a similar situation happened in Utah, and flamingo known as Pink Floyd escape an aviary in Salt Lake City, he was later spotted at the great salt lake every year till 2005 he’s now memorialize in several places throughout the city.
The lesson: never name a flamingo Pink Floyd. He'll escape.
@@margaritatabellini8806 now i want zoos to name flamingos pink floid and i also want all those birds to excape so as to make a legend about the pink floid flamingo and how flamingos pass down the "title" to every generation of thier kinds
Poor guy. As you said, flamingos are social creatures. I wonder how lonely he’s been.
He was hanging out on a really popular bird point when I took that video. It's not a great place to eat, so I assume he was there for social reasons. There were about a dozen white pelicans, several gulls, but he was closest to the small terns sleeping on one leg when I first saw him. Looked like a poof ball on a stick. About 3hrs later he was still on that point hanging out near the pelicans.
Exactly
Probably fine, they just have a little trouble understanding his accent though
@@wolfetteplays8894 Fr Fr do birds understand each other at all in the wild or do they only know what to stay away from and what is similar to them?
@@HurtsEnd I think they might understand each other. My exotic South American bird as a kid used to be able to call over common doves and pigeons or squawk to get them away. Not to mention I’ve seen African Grays talking to budgies and finches. So I’d say they most likely can
I have a tagged registered parrot that I intentionally didn't clip his wings because although they grow back i feel it killed his spirit because ive allowed him to fly around the house since he was just born. One day i had a few beers and while quickly letting the dog in, the bird flew out the door. I genuinely held back tears as i searched for him until around 5am as the sun was coming up. I somehow fell asleep until 6:30 when i have to get up for work. I ran outside and started calling him and heard a reply. Me and my bird are very close. I called again and heard him again. I got closer. At some point im way down the road in front of someone else's house and i was startled by him flying directly on my shoulder. No clue where he flew from i was just glad to have him back. Hes on my shoulder watching me type this now. Hes the most smart and mischievous bird i have ever came across. He can let himself out of his cage causing me to have to put a childs lock on it. I genuinely think that he thinks im his pet, not the other way around. Birds are incredible creatures. Seriously.
Chances are higher he thinks you're his mate. Btw, a lot of parrot like birds want to return home after flying away, but not knowing the environment, they simply get lost.
It just wanted too see whats outside they never leave their owners
@@harrynac6017 im pretty sure you're right. In his mind, im his pet. Its like how parrots have seemingly no fear. All the species in the parrot family will never back down and will buck up to things that can easily kill them. A conure will intentionally pick at cats for fun. They will get themselves killed by their confidence alone.
@@the_original_Bilb_Ono Maybe your just good buds. Doesn’t have to be as extreme as a mate, or a pet.
You can teach your parrot free flying so he can fly safely outside, though maybe not this year cause it's a really bad year for bird flu.
I'm not over the fact that he met ANOTHER fugitive flamingo, A DIFFERENT KIND OF FUGITIVE FLAMINGO and was spotted with him multiple times!!!!!!! that's some disney movie shit right there
Isn't it so cute, they were friends
@@TheLalalalani I kinda got the impression they were maybe more than friends... So maybe the story isn't so Disney after all.
only Disney would make unwatchable
*pixar
@@ddkapps If they are both males then it would be right up Disney's alley these days.
Flamingos have been my favorite animal since I was a little girl, 8 years old, when I saw one, up close, in person. I'm 31 now and have been so happy over the recent craze of them in the last years, finally finding my favorite thing on all my favorite kind of things! This video is amazing and so entertaining. Thank you, Austin.
The bird being called 492 this whole time makes it sound like a damn SCP lol
someone write its bio
Well there is an (No really) flamingo scp: SCP-1507
SCP 492
Class: Safe
Containment procedure: SCP 492 is currently uncontained
Description: SCP 492 is a anomalous flamingo currently located in Texas. The Flamingo was originally captured at [REDACTED] and brought to [REDACTED] Zoo prior to escaping. SCP 492 is otherwise a normal flamingo until it is left alone. Upon being left alone the flamingo manifests another flamingo designated as SCP 492-1. 492 seems only to manifest them for a few years at most before they demanifest.
@@deetheottsel how is it safe if it isnt contained thats not how SCPs work
@@cometaHavoc there are uncontained safe classes, seeing as I wrote this out to be just a flamingo who manifests friends for itself and stays away from people I don't think it'd get anything higher then safe
Oh my gosh I live in Wichita Kansas, I remember hearing about their great escape! I was very much in support of their journey, they deserved a happy life.
Even if you may not know it, you're a legend among flamingokind, and countless humans are rooting for you across the internet.
Shine on, you crazy diamond.
@@RufusMufus159 Damn it, foiled by my complete lack of knowledge on bands and musical artists once again.
It's been changed. All credit and imaginary Internet points go to this guy.
@@sirreginaldfishingtonxvii6149 😂
The wit in this comment section makes me happy for the future.
Zoos provide a valuable service to conservation efforts and animal science in general but I thought we've mostly moved beyond incarcerating wild caught creatures? Ideally all zoo occupants should be captive bred unless the animal in question is endangered to be used to potential breeding programs to reintroduce its offspring into the wild or other research efforts to help the species. This story is a perfect example of why keeping wild caught birds is a **bad** idea and morally questionable. There's massive numbers of captive flamingos in US zoos and I'm sure they need to unload excess hatchlings from time to time - why did the Whichita zoo contract with some shady wildlife procurers in Tanzania to obtain the flock? So they could create an exhibit instantly?
Unfortunately some zoos are still better than others :p
This was back in 2003. Nearly 20 years ago. Most zoos now have policies about only taking animals bred in other zoos or rescued from exotic pet owners. Exotic pet rescues tend to be too comfortable around humans to be safely reintroduce back into the wild. If an animal is taken from the wild it's supposed to be because the animal has a birth defect or injury that would make it impossible to survive in the wild. Albinos for example rarely live to adulthood in the wild because they can't hide from predators or hunt prey. But generally those are moved to reservations in the respective country not exported to America
@@darkhorsedouglas4789 they knew better back then as well
Because seeing is believing. It’s how we work. Necessary evil.
@@no_peace totally.
I'm just surprised Flamingoes regularly live to 40.
flamingoes are like parrots but more powerful, so they live shorter lives
had this same thought
The larger the animal the longer the life span, usually.
@@AdeonWriter interesting that the opposite is true in dogs
@@AdeonWriter Birds live significantly longer than mammals at all size ranges. This is why a parrot can live longer than a human, and a backyard bird like a chickadee can live for ten years in the wild, but mice rarely live past a couple even in captivity. Lifespan also correlates with the length of time it takes a young animal to mature, generally, but birds in general also age more slowly. The oldest known flamingo was supposedly 83. I had a 20 year old chicken, and I've had several others reach 15-18 years.
Now I want to write a story about them escaping, running away as lovers. Sadly, 347 doesn't last too long, possibly eaten while she's sleeping or when she's too cold to fly away. 492 carries on alone, looking for meaning in the world, and encounters another flamingo. They the are friends for a while, but part ways, perhaps with the other meeting a tragic end. I don't know what would be a satisfactory ending, though. Maybe he just sets off into the world to find another friend to spend time with, waiting tentatively until the time they, too, are taken from him.
Happy reminder that most flamingos are significantly older that the children who come to admire them
That’s true of most animals….
Wow
I mean most zoo animals usually are
And?
@@williammiller3277 cool fact ig
I love how you narrated this like it was a great jailbreak of the 1920s of two daring bonnie and Clyde birds
Another amazing video of an absurd, yet interesting story i would've never known about if it wasn't for you Austin
oh my god you just made me remember austin is the capital of texas, which is where this takes place lol
HOW DEEP DOES IT GO??????????1??
@@Victini7472 very deep 😜
@@Victini7472 to be more specific it's 17 inches deep .
@@Shaggylicious thank you norville "shaggy" rogers from the television series scooby doo
This story has been flying around the internet for awhile
I don't think anyone could have written a more compelling story if they tried. From breaking out on independence day to losing his partner in crime to vibing wherever he pleases. Truly an inspiration
Shine on you crazy diamond
There’s another story about an escaped flamingo who is also nicknamed Pink Floyd! This one escaped the Tracy Aviary (Salt Lake City, UT) in 1988 due to the staff forgetting to clip the wings. He hung around the Great Salt Lake every once in awhile and was last seen in Idaho in 2005.
ayyy i live in salt lake
Man these Pink Floyd flamingos always escaping
@@arfansthename escaping to the dark side of the moon
I was just gonna comment that this reminds me of the Great Salt Lake's boi Pink Floyd
Also a Utahn, I’ve been to Tracy Aviary. Cool place.
love the way you're anthropomorphizing these flamingos thought process 😂
So I’ve lived in a suburban area by Lake Houston Texas my whole life and I swear I’ve spotted a flamingo multiple times a few years ago. I would say the estimated time range would be 2010-2017;however, since Hurricane Harvey I haven’t seen the flamingo. I don’t know if this is the same one that has been captured on camera or it’s friend. I have no evidence though as I thought it was just a bird that looked similar to a flamingo.
Could be those other similar birds he lives with now
@@quinn799 Yeah, it's easy to mistake a spoonbill for a flamingo.
@@quinn799 could be, but it’s a lake a few hours away from the coast and I’m pretty sure the other birds are coastal birds. I could be wrong though
I’ve seen a group of three flamingos 🦩 🦩🦩 hanging out with a bunch of spoonbills on South Padre. I might have a photograph somewhere, this was probably 2008 or so. I talked to a biologist and he said that the coast was the far northern portion of the native range for flamingos from central and South America.
@@ScotchIrishHoundsman People from up north commonly think Spoonbills are flamingoes. It doesn't help that actual flamingoes from South America sometimes show up.
From being thrown in prison, to the great escape, to the prison number 492, this all feels like a Disney retelling of Les Mis.
I was surprised to hear my home zoo named. Wichita doesn’t come up much. It’s strange to think that I probably saw him as a kid in the early 2000s. I hope he keeps on doing well. It’s certainly better there than in landlocked Kansas.
Oh of course, now that the flamingo becomes a celebrity, everyone is going to say that they've met him.
Same!! Wichita was always a lackluster topic & nothing exciting or of note really happens here very often. When I seen Wichita pop up I audibly gasped lol
@@trulyjaada yes but at least witchita has things to do around there we drove hours to get to witchita as a kid because in SW Kansas there is absolutely nothing but wheat and cows
Cool, now DO NOT EVER PAY FOR A ZOO TICKET AGAIN. At least not from this godawful prison... this zoo is obviously paying for animals to be stolen from the wild for your entertainment, and supporting it would mean that it's now YOUR personal fault that these animals are being kept in miserable cages thousands of miles away from their home & family, for no other reason than to get you to buy a ticket.
Lol here in Florida we have the opposite problem too much shit happens were on the news every 5 minutes I mean Florida man ain't a joke people It really do be like that
THIS MAKES SO MUCH SENSE. When I was a little kid around 15-17 years ago, I saw this thing at the Texas City Dike in the city of Texas City where I grew up. I didn’t know what it was and assumed it was an ostrich. Ostrich makes no logical sense and well, this thing could fly, so when I told people, I was heavily ridiculed. I even got in trouble by one of my teachers for telling people what I saw because they swore I was lying. You can ask anybody I know, I’ve been telling this story for over 15 years now.
Now that I’m older, I know it was a flamingo. But I haven’t come across any story to back up what I saw that day at the beach. Until now!
I know some folks from Port Lavaca, I’ll have to ask if they’ve seen anything similar.
Merch Idea: A pair of comfortable pants with 492 wrapped on one of the legs like a prisoner tag.
are you out of your goddamn mind
Pink, of course.😋
This sounds straight out of a book. Honestly it would work well if it got adapted into a book, with a few creative liberties taken
The start of this sounds like the origin story of a new BBCU character
The lone flamingo
This. The mastermind
Phase 7.
@@austinmcconnell 'Ive called you all here for a very important reason. You've all had these so called 'heroes' up in your feathers for quite a while. How many times has Atlas flaunted his powers only for the Hood to fly the coop. The way I see it, the sooner we flock together, the sooner these heroes will be... Plucked.'
What's BBCU? Is it worth checking out, whatever it is?
as someone who regularly watches dark mystery content, this made me smile SO BIG. presenting this story in this format is hilarious, such a good choice. what a great story! thanks for telling it.
Okay, first up: Why did I just watch a 7 minute video about a flamingo... and enjoy it?
Second, the animation graphics are getting much better! Keep it up dude!
Honestly, I am very proud of him! I hope he lives another 20 years in his new home.
This is my spirit animal since, I too, escaped Wichita and now spend my time alone in Texas.
this may sound absurd but I believe I may have spotted 492 at a friends birthday party.
One day in late 2021 - early 2022 my friend was hosting a paintball game for his birthday party. As stereotypically texan as it sounds this was my first time playing paintball, so i was exited. After a few hours of playing we decided to take a break. We were in a large gravel lot playing some kind of ball game when somebody yelled, "is that a flamingo" I had never really looked at a flamingo before but this had to be one. It has similar coloration to 492, with long legs and a sharp beak. We all stared at it for a few seconds then went back to our game. I never thought about it until now. crazyyy
this is literally the plot of Madagascar. he’s going to join a circus ring next, i bet.
How do you know details of their journey where there weren’t people around? Like the drainage ditch part?
You did _not_ need to tell the story like this, but I'm _so_ glad you did. And oh the bird puns
this is the best and only video about a flamingo you will ever have to watch😁😁 Great!!
i hope in some 3 years someone doesn't comment "update: he was eaten by an alligator" or whatever
Don’t jinx it
yes you do
Live wild die wild
Every story has an ending
even if that haappens he will have lived a long life wandering the open skies away from captivity, that is a victory in its own right
“He was a fugitive.”
Most birds are, my friend.
no, they are free, as it should be
@@Oscar4u69 I didn’t say they shouldn’t be haha
I’m team fugitive!
Birds aren't real.
@@WouldntULikeToKnow. Go on.
@Marouan Fares birds aren't real
This is like a lemmino video except for a pink flamingo instead of some unsolved mystery.
The Iliad & Odyssey of Flamingo No. 492
Surprised I cant find the idea of catching him and bringing him back to tanzania to his mates because he got 20 more years left. I mean, I think he kind of deserves it.
Funded through kickstarter/patreon.
Would support this.
Don’t ever scroll pass by an Austin MocConnell video no matter how weird the title sounds. You won’t leave disappointed
exactly
Honestly, the weirder the title, the more interesting Autisn will make it.
I like the "suspect recorded on a shaky camera from a distance" footage combined with Dateline's "this is definitely our guy music" @4:56
God, I love it how you always dig out this relativly obscure stories! 😁 they are so interesting, and you and your team tell them so well, both with the visuals and the narration!
My favourite so far was the story about the bestseller that didn't exist
📖
When you first said amputate, I thought you meant clipped, and I was gonna correct you. But then when you distinguished it from clipping I realized what you meant, and that's _horrifying_. As an aviculturalist myself I could never imagine doing that to any of my beloved birds. Clipping is bad enough but at least the wings grow back from that!
I loved this story, but am somewhat devastated that you said birds of a common ilk rather than birds of a feather.
This is the take on Flamingo 492 I never thought I'd get.
I wonder how we know the details about this escape? Like how they sheltered in a drainage canal and stuff?
According to an interview with the curator of the zoo in New York Times, they were still under the observation of park officials when they were at the drainage canal.
As to why they didn't capture them on site, well, probably they didn't have right equipment to capture them. Net probably would hurt them, and sleeping dart probably aren't available for flamingos.
Or they search the area and found their droppings. That works too.
How neat, this reminds me of another story i saw about a guy who had swans live on his rooftop every year during mating season, he'd see them for a few weeks at a time or so, every single year and they always came back to his specific house. It was very interesting.
maybe that house was built on their ancestral nesting grounds?
I just found this channel and now I’m probably gonna spend the day binging these videos because you’re SO good at telling stories
What exactly is the mystery here? Seems pretty well documented to me. No more a mystery than what my cat is up to while I'm away.
I feel the same way. This story is just "exotic bird escaped from zoo"
Title of the video is changed to remove the word mystery
True. It seems like an interesting story, but not a mystery.
@@nicholasscott9672 now its added again
i think the mystery is referring to when you first see the video of the flamingo and wonder "why the hell is there a flamingo in the usa?"
You've shown me your journalism chops by giving me a story in the perspective of a flamingo
Birds are really fricking smart and resilient. I'd like to see a human evade detection that long.
Well, for starters, most humans need cooked food, shelters, clothes, and hygiene. Birds usually less fussy about these things.
Every person who knew me before 9/11 believes I'm dead.
Her name was Harriet Tubman.
Thank god you put that yellow circle in the thumbnail, I would have never spotter the Flamingo otherwise!
I've seen this story pop up on several different sites lately and while I got the general gist your story telling and the addition of the finer details really fleshed out the story of the fugitive flamingo. While I don't know much about flamingos I am impressed by 492's loner streak. Typically when I hear an animal is "social" I usually assume their mental health is badly impacted by going it alone but 492 seems to be thriving without the company of his fellow flamingos. You mentioned the spoonbills and now I wondering if they've adopted him into their flock in some capacity.
To be fair, humans are social creatures too and we can sometimes do very well by ourselves lol.
Spoonbills and Flamingos eat the same food. They strain little arthropods and plants out of silt. Floyd probably learned fast that he can forage where spoonbills forage.
I mean would you rather be in prison with a bunch of people or free with a couple of friends?
I am totally rooting for 492. Get your groove on.
I love learning about these things going on in the world. They're such great conversation starters, too. "Did you hear about that fugitive flamingo? Did you hear about the cobra crisis?"
Austin is the new Garrison Keillor and there is no more worthy successor :) Love this Austin, thank you!
Another banger from Austin. Thanks for the free, high quality content man
I appreciate it, man!
in a time where zoos are at the forefront of responsible animal education and conservation during a mass extinction event, I don't appreciate zoos being villainized in this telling of the story.
Yes
I love the originality, using a yellow circle instead of a red circle
fr though all of those videos you make are very good and well researched. And they're free to watch too. Well done Austin
It's so impressive how smart they are
How they coordinated an escape and executed it
Yes 492 is very smart
Flamingoes rise up.
This was waaay beyond entertaining.
NO WAYYY. I read an article on this a few weeks ago(April 1st to be exact), and thought it was just a joke... If you didn't make this video I would have never known this was real!
this is why I always look further into the story to see if there's another few sites that cover it and check their author and dates
He’s a Lesser Flamingo. There are Greater Flamingos in the Americas (I’ve seen one in Texas, which was genuinely wild having been ringed in Mexico.)
If anyone told me I'd be watching a video about a runaway Pink Flamingo today I'd have thought they were nuts lol
My mom and I saw two flamingos fly overhead while we were in the car today, it’s funny that this was recommended to me. I don’t think they normally live in the northern part of Florida? I wonder if they flew out from the zoo.
So sad that we don’t know what the fait of flamingo 347. 492 must feel really sad that his partner in crime is gone and likely never coming back. At least he made new friends and is living a happy life in Texas
The animation of the 2d silhouettes is SO good and makes this video so so much better. Its the small touches.
This Flamingo is almost certainly a stand user. Like, c'mon... 「Pink Floyd」... He's not even trying to hide it. Someone call the Speedwagon Foundation.
This title popped up in my YT feed a few times a day. I was not going to watch a vid with this title. Finally, I gave in.
It was worth every minute! Thanks, Austin (I should've known).
This sounds like a plot for a pixar movie
Huh. Wait that means the “wild flamingo” I saw as a kid was actually 492!
No one believed me cause we’re in Louisiana. I had actually convinced myself I imagined it.
if 482 only knew...there is (or, at least, was, can't quite confirm if they're still there) a flock of flamingos who live(d?) at Hialeah race track in Florida, if he was able to fly across the Gulf of Mexico, or over LA, MS, AL, and down into FL (they may be Caribbeans, but close enough)
This flamingo's life has a similar plot to many macho revenge movies.
Never ever did just two videos tell me: I just like this guy. A lot! brilliant and hillarious!
I'm not exactly sure how 492 will play into the bargain bin cinematic universe but I can't wait to find out.
Phase 7.
@@austinmcconnell Ok, now that you’ve said this twice I can’t tell if you’re sure
This is a beautiful story.
I would love to see your sources to read more about the 492!
I hope he never gets caught. Be free 492, do it for us all.
Until now, I had no idea that flamingos can fly.
Are you 10 or something?
@@BiggerR10 Everyone learns something new everyday. For example, I had no idea that flamingos can fly :D
I usually don't care for these silly films but for some reason I really enjoyed hearing about #492!Thanks for the informative and fun little update!
I'm glad Flamingo 492 was able to escape captivity and forge his own path in life. If only more zoo animals had the opportunity to do so.
Humans: this mastermind bird planned an escape plan 13 years back and everything is falling into place
Bird: me fly now
This just screams movie concept
We need an animated movie based on this
After watching your “30 min of useless info” again earlier today: do Flamingo’s have facial recognition like Ravens, geese, and swans???
This is 492's world, and we are just living in it.