It had been years since my last
stay at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino, and I was curious to see how the
Wildlife Habitat had fared since the hotel's renovation.
Was it still there? A quick check
of their website confirmed that when I made my reservations online. What
changes, if any, had been made? I soon found out, the first day of my stay. In
a couple of words, a fair bit.
The biggest change is that the
playful frolicking waddle of penguins wasn't there anymore, which is a shame,
because I'd always enjoyed watching them swimming around and cooling off in the
hot sun. Heck, I enjoy watching them anywhere – zoos, aquariums, parks.
I remember an information sign
saying they were actually tropical penguins and actually enjoyed the heat. A
likely story. They were gone. Where did they go? I had to do some research
online and learned they had been transferred to the Dallas Zoo.
The habitat's newest additions
include two brown pelicans named after the original hotel's founder, Benjamin
"Bugsy" Seigel and his girlfriend companion, Virginia Hill. Bugsy and
Virginia had been rescued by the Pacific Wildlife Project after suffering
fishing-line injuries. They now reside in the former penguin area.
In addition to the pelicans, the
Flamingo Wildlife Habitat houses about 500 animals including ten pink Chilean
flamingos, ducks, black swans, a white sturgeon, koi fish, parrots, guinea
fowl, turtles and an ibis. They make themselves at home on islands and streams
surrounded by waterfalls and foliage – a wonderful place for a casual, relaxing
walk.
They've even got a wedding chapel
there if you're looking for a lovely venue to get married in. Long ago, the
habitat area featured a large swimming pool with rows and rows of chaise lounge
sunning chairs. The south tower wasn't there; instead, during one trip n the
'80s, I stayed in a two or three-story apartment-like building that housed
guest rooms.
Although I snapped a bunch of
pictures, can you believe that of all things, I forgot to take pictures of the
flamingos and the wedding chapel. Looks like I gotta go back someday.
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