Luring Swallows Back with a Love Song
The celebrated birds have all but vanished at the Mission San Juan Capistrano. Now the city is trying to lure them back with a love song.
Feathers flew Sunday in Hialeah, Florida when a flamingo attempted to make an escape from the historic Hialeah Park Race Track.
Once known as “the world’s most beautiful racecourse,” Hialeah Park was a world renown horse-racing destination. Owner Joseph Widener imported the first flock of flamingos in 1934 from Cuba, to inhabit the infield lake.
Since their introduction, the exotic tropical fowl have become the trademark of the Park and South Florida – having been used as the backdrop for such major feature films as “Miami Vice,” and “The Champ.”
The Miami Herald reported that on Sunday, Officer Jose (Eddie) Romero was on a patrol when he spotted a glimmer of pink and the unmistakable form that could only be a flamingo jaunting through traffic.
Romero called in for backup and was fast on hot-pink pursuit.
Hialeah spokesman, Sgt. Carl Zogby, told the Miami Herald, the flamingo “lost its way and ended up dodging traffic.”
Using a traffic vest to cover the bird’s eyes and maintain calm on the scene, the officers were able to subdue the fugitive bird.
“We were just lucky it didn’t get hurt,” Zogby said. “He was in the middle of traffic in Hialeah, poor guy.”
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