A pigeon found by rescuers in New York's Madison Square Park has died after it was found dyed pink using chemicals before it was released into the wild.
The Wild Bird Fund rescue group said ina Facebook post this week that the bird died about a week after a rescuer found it.
As NPR reported, Catherine Quayle, social media director of the Wild Bird Fund said, "We don't know why this bird was dyed pink, although many of our followers have speculated that it was for a gender reveal party."
"We believe his death was caused by inhaling the toxins," possibly from hair dye, the group said.
We are deeply sad to report that Flamingo, our sweet pink pigeon, has passed away. Despite our best efforts to reduce...
Posted by Wild Bird Fund on Tuesday, February 7, 2023
In a post to Facebook on Wednesday, the group said, "We are deeply sad [sic] to report that Flamingo, our sweet pink pigeon, has passed away. Despite our best efforts to reduce the fumes coming off the dye, while keeping him calm and stable, he died in the night."
The group said, "This king pigeon, a domestic bird likely raised for food, was malnourished, barely older than a baby and had no survival skills when he was released and left to fend for himself. Even without the added complication of the toxic dye, he would not have survived in a city park as a white, helpless bird."