Flamingo Frenzy: Moving Day At Florida Zoo

Zookeepers tasked with wrangling and moving the delicate birds.

ByABC News
April 18, 2014, 3:40 PM
The flamingos will be off exhibit for 14 months, the zoo said on its Facebook page.
The flamingos will be off exhibit for 14 months, the zoo said on its Facebook page.
Courtesy Ron Magil/Zoo Miami

April 18, 2014— -- Talk about a flamingo frenzy!

The delicate birds at Zoo Miami splashed around in the water on moving day.

Ron Magill, Zoo Miami's communications director, was one of the people who waded waist deep into the flamingo habitat on Thursday to round up the 38 birds.

PHOTO: Zookeepers at Zoo Miami waded waist deep into the water to wrangle the flamingos.
Zookeepers at Zoo Miami waded waist deep into the water to wrangle the flamingos.

"They're beautiful birds to look at but they're kind of smelly and make nasty noises," Magill told ABCNews.com. "It's a whole different perspective when you're in the water with them."

PHOTO: The birds will live at the Conservation and Breeding Center until construction is finished at their new habitat.
The birds will live at the Conservation and Breeding Center until construction is finished at their new habitat.

Magill, who is 6-foot-6, said he took advantage of his long arms to help scoop up the birds, which were then relocated to the Conservation and Breeding Center.

PHOTO: The flamingo exhibit has greeted visitors for 34 years since they entered the front gates, according to Zoo Miami.
The flamingo exhibit has greeted visitors for 34 years since they entered the front gates, according to Zoo Miami.

The flamingos will be off exhibit for 14 months until construction on their new habitat is complete, Magill said.

PHOTO: The delicate birds splashed around in the water on moving day.
The delicate birds splashed around in the water on moving day.

The next time the public sees the birds, they will greet visitors in a new exhibit outside the front gate.

PHOTO: The next time the public sees the birds, the zoo says they will be located in a new exhibit outside the front gate.
The next time the public sees the birds, the zoo says they will be located in a new exhibit outside the front gate.