7-foot flamingo filched

Photo: Vickie Escott

Missing: one large pink flamingo.

The seven-foot-tall pink bird flew the coop Saturday and its owners want it back.

The colourful ornament was last seen with a beachball hanging from its mouth and a pink and white beach towel around its neck.

Vickie Escott said the big bird had become an icon of the neighbourhood.

She would dress the bird up in a festive manner for occasions like Christmas and Easter, and the recent warm weather prompted the summer attire the bird was wearing when it was stolen.

Escott said her neighbours in the Michelle Crescent area of West Kelowna are upset by the theft.

“They liked to see what was going to happen with it next. They all really enjoy it. It was a shock to see it gone,” she said, adding she is going to contact the police about the theft.

Escott said some thought and planning likely went in to stealing the metal mesh bird that weighed around 30 pounds and was also wired with lights. The culprits had to cut several wires to take the bird and would probably have needed a vehicle to make their getaway.