A flamingo that escaped from a zoo in Kansas back in 2005 has been spotted in Texas.
The African flamingo, known as No. 492, has been on the run since breaking out of Sedgwick County Zoo.
Staff at Texas Parks and Wildlife couldn't believe it when they spotted the bird near Lavaca Bay with the infamous No. 492 leg tag on.
Lavaca Bay is 1,096km from Sedgwick County Zoo.
But it's not the first time the flamingo has been sighted in Texas. It was spotted in the state in 2013 and has also been noticed in Louisiana and as far north as Wisconsin.
No. 492 escaped before zookeepers could take its blood to determine its sex or give it a name, and it's evaded capture ever since.
It fled with another flamingo but it's believed that bird has since died.
Experts believe No. 492 probably likes the Texas weather, and the Gulf Coast provides the water and food flamingos enjoy.
Speaking to the Austin American-Statesman, Julie Hagen, a staff member at Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Coast Fisheries Division, said:
"From my seat, this story is less about the fact that we lost a flamingo, and more about how resilient they are and how amazing it is that 492 is alive and well and seems to be doing well along the Gulf Coast."
