Zookeepers hunt fugitive flamingo in Japan

TOKYO (AFP) - Zookeepers in northern Japan are racing against nature to catch a fugitive flamingo before it freezes or migrates south for the winter.

Bird experts have tried to net the escapee on the lake it has made home using captive flamingos as bait, and have even donned diving gear to sneak up on the pink-feathered bird from underwater.

But every time they get anywhere near it takes to the skies, said Mr Akihisa Kato from Asahiyama Zoo, on the northernmost island of Hokkaido.

"We want to capture it ourselves if possible. But if we don't, it can survive the winter if it flies south to warmer places with migratory birds such as swans and geese," he told AFP by telephone.