The sad news of the death of Flamingo, the white king pigeon found in Manhattan last month dyed pink, has now attracted the attention of local law enforcement. The New York Times reports that the NYPD's animal cruelty unit has opened an investigation into what happened to the bird, though it hasn't offered details yet on what the probe might entail. The main theory that's emerged is that Flamingo was doused in pink paint for a pregnancy gender reveal.
On Tuesday, the Wild Bird Fund, the nonprofit rehabilitation group that had been caring for the pigeon after he was found in New York City's Madison Square Park on Jan. 30, posted online that it believed Flamingo died from inhaling the toxins from the dye, "despite our best efforts to reduce the fumes." Last week, the organization had chronicled its attempts to remove the dye, which it had a difficult time doing, per USA Today.
"Birds are highly sensitive to certain fumes, and this pigeon is essentially living inside a cloud," the group noted. It also said that Flamingo, a juvenile, had been malnourished and was not in good shape even before someone dyed him, and that he likely wouldn't have survived very long as a "helpless bird" in a city park. Still, Carlos Rodriguez, an animal rescuer who lives near the park and was called to the scene on the day Flamingo was found, hopes whoever dyed him is nabbed soon. "I want this to bring attention to people that animals are not props," he tells the Times. (More animal cruelty stories.)
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