Record Holder FHF

The oldest female of Caribbean Flamingo doesn't have a name, but only an identification mark F5 and red ring FHF on her leg. Foto: Petr Hamernik, Prague Zoo

Flamingos are indeed known for their longevity. Two years ago a dead Lesser Flamingo, ringed fifty years earlier, was found at the Bogoria Lake in Kenya. And one year ago, an almost blind Greater Flamingo, called Greater, suffering with arthritis, had to be euthanized in Adelaide Zoo after having been kept there since 1933. He was already an adult when he came to Adelaide, therefore he had to have been at least 83 years old! He was the world´s record holder; and still one more Chilean Flamingo remained in Adelaide, which was estimated to be 65 at that time.

Similarly, as in Greater´s case, also with our record holder "FHF" we don´t know her age. Together with another six individuals of her species - four males and two females - she was captured in Cuba supposedly as an adult, therefore she belongs among the oldest animals kept in Prague Zoo.

I must admit that at first I didn´t want to believe that in the case of "FHF" there was not an error or a mistaken identity. But both are virtually out of the question. For a very long time only seven Caribbean Flamingos were in our Zoo, those which arrived in 1965 together, and later - when more individuals of this species arrived - they were already under the care of our excellent curator Karel Pithart. Even two stays in Ostrava Zoo cannot lead to questioning the age of our "FHF". On top of that, before the second stay, which in spite of the first one was very long - , "FHF" had already been marked by a microchip.

Unfortunately, even in a zoo many pitfalls can lurk. Thus Greater from Adelaide had to survive once an attack of rowdies and "FHF" endured visits of foxes in the Water World as well as the risky evacuation during the floods in June 2013. Let´s hope that she will continue to be resistant to age and various types of jeopardy and we will celebrate in a spectacular way this summer the half century anniversary of her arrival to Prague.