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Flamingos in Bavaria

February 18, 2016

The first storks are just returning to Germany after spending the winter months in Spain and Africa. That is totally normal. But the fact that you can now spot flamingos in Bavaria is completely out of the ordinary.

https://p.dw.com/p/1HxHl
BdT Flamingos im Allgäu
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K.-J. Hildenbrand

Tourists headed for Neuschwanstein Castle can enjoy an unusual sight right now. Five flamingos have settled by a nearby lake.

The exotic visitors have repeatedly been seen there, as well as near other lakes in Bavaria, in the past. Experts say the flamingos have probably escaped from a zoo and are now enjoying their freedom. Flamingos have also been seen near Lake Chiemsee and Lake Tegernsee in recent years. And local ornitholgists report that a first flock of flamingos have been living wild in the Oberpfalz region since 2014.

The birds are normally found in Africa, Asia and southern Europe. But since the 1980’s they have also been sighted in North Africa, the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany.

at / pw (dpa)