Man Accused in Pinky the Flamingo’s Death Out of Jail

TAMPA, FL — The 45-year-old man accused of throwing Busch Gardens’ famous dancing flamingo Pinky last Tuesday was released from the Hillsborough County Jail on Sunday. Anthony Corrao faces felony animal cruelty charges in the case, which ultimately led to Pinky’s death.

According to jail records, bond in the amount of $5,000 was posted on Sunday for Corrao’s release. He was charged last Tuesday, Aug. 2, following an incident at the Tampa theme park. Bail was originally set at $2,000, but was raised to $5,000 after his first appearance in court.

The incident that led to Corrao’s arrest occurred around 6:44 p.m. Tuesday. According to Tampa Police, Corrao was visiting Busch Gardens with his mother, brother and three teenage children. While in the Jambo Junction Animal Viewing Area, Corrao is accused of picking up a flamingo. Police say Corrao put that bird down, but then picked up Pinky.

"Witnesses and his mother told him to leave the flamingos alone," an email from the police department said. "Witnesses said Corrao then threw the flamingo to the ground, causing serious injury to the flamingo whose foot was nearly severed."

Pinky suffered serious injuries, police said, and had to be euthanized. Pinky was one of the park's "animal ambassadors." She was known to dance for park visitors, a performance often captured on video.

"Like all flamingos, she loves warm, tropical weather," Busch Gardens said of Pinky on its YouTube channel in 2011. "However, unlike wild flamingos, and even our other flamingo ambassadors, Pinky loves to dance for our guests! Her keepers say that this is not a trained behavior, but a natural behavior she loves to show off."

Following Pinky’s death, Joel Manby, president and CEO of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, Busch Gardens’ parent company, issued a statement.

“Pinky was a beloved member of the Busch Gardens Tampa Bay family, and she will be sorely missed. Our Ambassador team members are appalled by this incident, and I am sure they share my view that our state must have a zero-tolerance policy for this kind of cruelty.”

If convicted on the third-degree felony animal cruelty charge, Corrao could face fines up to $10,000 and up to five years in prison, according to Florida statutes. No court dates in Corrao’s case have been set as of yet, according to court records.

Booking photo courtesy of the Hillsborough County Jail