HANK DEWALD, HERALD STAFF WRITER

TODD WETHERINGTON | DAILY HERALD Sylvan Heights' new flamingo exhibit opened to the public Thursday as nearly 100 birds were released into their new home. Advertisement

SCOTLAND NECK - Refusing to be detoured by a potential environmental disaster, the Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park and Eco Center held a gala grand opening for its new Flamingo exhibit Thursday afternoon.

The flamingos, almost 100 of them, performed almost on cue once Brad Hazelton, who is responsible for the exhibit along with Center founder Mike Lubbock, cut the ribbon and opened the door to their breeding shed. The celebration came as the cleanup of hundreds of gallons of oil illegally dumped into a drainage ditch and stream running into the center's property continued.

As the crowd, many wearing pink creations of all kinds, stood quietly watching from all around the exhibit area, the birds looked outside and cautiously began moving out as a group.

They seemed to realize they were the center of attention and took full advantage of it. Several headed straight for the pond and before everyone knew it, the entire flock was strutting about as only flamingos can.

Lubbock said the exhibit adds a new dimension to the center's already diverse bird collection. “The large collection of beautiful and exotic African Lesser and Chilean flamingos will provide a spectacular view for the park's visitors and the exhibit is sure to become one of the most popular at Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park.”

Lubbock explained how the project began. Hazelton, who interned one summer at Sylvan Heights before eventually becoming the curator of the Fort Worth Zoo, took one look at what is now the exhibit and said “This would be a great compound for Lesser flamingos.”

“Brad is one of the most successful breeders of Lesser flamingos in North America,” Lubbock told the crowd. “With only 25 adults, he managed to raise seven in one year.”

Lubbock had his doubts about creating the habitat, though. The Fort Worth Zoo was selling the birds for $7,000 each, which made the endeavor highly unlikely. Fortunately, another former intern at the park, a German student named Carstan Hager, contacted Lubbock out of the blue and offered to send some birds.

“He disappeared, or kind of fell off the face of the earth, or at least we thought he had. Then, suddenly we got news he was in Tanzania and was exporting birds, and this was how it sort of came about,” Lubbock said.

“He offered us a pallet of flamingos. Brad and I looked at one another and said ‘what's a pallet of flamingos?' Turns out, it was 96 birds.”

The birds had to go through quarantine for a month in New York and once Hazelton and Nick Lubbock drove up to get the birds, 15 had died. The group was not in the best of health, but Hazelton and his staff managed to bring them back to good health, and they appeared to be not only healthy Thursday afternoon, but also very happy.

On hand for the grand opening was local author and teacher Jan Lee Wicker, whose first book, “Those Funny Flamingos,” fit perfectly with the exhibit, as did the wild pink flamingo hat she wore.

Wicker, who also interned at the park, said her book on flamingos was written long before this exhibit became a reality, but she used the Lubbock's extensive library as part of her research for it and has brought her class in to see it already.

Now that the exhibit is open to the public, the birds may be viewed on a daily basis. Hazelton and the rest of the Sylvan Heights staff are excited to explain all about the exotic birds. As Lubbock said, the display provides a spectacular opportunity to see these birds up close and personal, as never before possible.