Missing flamingo that escaped from Cornwall park ‘spotted’ in France

A flamingo that escaped a wildlife sanctuary in Cornwall has been seen on the coast of north-west France, much to the astonishment of its keepers.

Frankie, the young female flamingo from Paradise Park, near Hayle, has been confirmed alive and well, with staff expressing both amazement at her journey and relief at her condition.

Her escape occurred on Sunday, November 2, when she managed to take flight despite having her feathers clipped.

Initial sightings placed her near Porthtowan, approximately 13 miles away, before she was observed back in Hayle later that same afternoon.

Just over a week later, Frankie is now believed to have been spotted in France.

Posting on social media, the park said: “There have been sightings of a flamingo on the coast of Brittany in France.

“There is population of Greater Flamingos in Southern France that look very similar to Frankie, but we believe we can see the feathers on right wing have been clipped.”

In an additional post, it continued: “Flamingos are capable of flying that distance, but we still feel amazed to see she has travelled so far also relieved to see her looking so fit.

“She has found a wonderful, protected estuary system & should be able to feed. We will update as we know more.”

Nick Reynolds, the director at Paradise Park, said how to get Frankie home was “the million dollar question”.

“The reality of getting her back to the UK is very, very slim,” he said.

“We don’t know what we are going to do.”

Mr Reynolds added that in the meantime, he hopes Frankie finds a colony of greater flamingos in south-west France, calling it the “best possible thing at the moment”, as the sanctuary figures out how to get its lovely girl” back home.