Wandering Flamingo Rescued From Celestún Streets

Motorists and residents in Celestún teamed up overnight Tuesday to rescue a flamingo that had wandered into the middle of town, far from the wetlands where the bird normally feeds.

The flamingo appears to have gotten separated from its flock and ended up walking through city streets, putting it at risk of being hit by traffic. When passing motorists spotted the bird, they stopped and, along with nearby residents, worked for several minutes to safely corral it. No injuries were reported, either to the flamingo or to the people involved. Once secured, the bird was handed over to wildlife authorities.

Celestún sits about 56 miles (90 kilometers) west of Mérida and is one of the best-known spots on the Yucatán Peninsula for viewing the American flamingo, thanks to the shallow lagoons of the Ría Celestún Biosphere Reserve. Large flocks concentrate there seasonally to feed, and the birds are a fixture of the local tourism economy, drawing boat tours through the mangroves. August is considered low season for flamingo sightings in Celestún, since much of the population migrates north toward Río Lagartos and Las Coloradas to nest between spring and fall, which may explain why a single, disoriented bird stood out enough to alarm residents.

Isolated flamingo sightings away from protected wetlands aren’t unheard of in Yucatán. Similar rescues have occurred in recent weeks in other coastal towns, usually involving young or molting birds that stray from their flocks. Wildlife officials generally advise against untrained residents handling the birds directly, since flamingos have fragile wings and legs, and recommend contacting authorities instead. Flamingos are a federally protected species under Mexican environmental law, and agencies including the federal environmental protection agency, Profepa, routinely respond to injured or displaced birds found outside reserve boundaries.

With reporting from TV Azteca Yucatán, with additional context from Mexico’s federal environmental protection agency, Profepa