Pinky the Flamingo’s Death Prompts Call for Tougher Animal Cruelty Laws

TAMPA, FL — More than 87,000 people are demanding “Justice for Pinky the Flamingo” by asking Florida lawmakers to up the penalties for those convicted in animal cruelty cases.

Pinky, the Tampa theme park’s famous dancing flamingo, died earlier this month after allegedly being thrown by a park guest. Busch Gardens said the Chilean flamingo suffered injuries so severe, she had to be euthanized.

The man charged in the case, Joseph Anthony Corrao, 45, of Orlando faces a maximum sentence of five years’ in prison and fines up to $10,000.

Those penalties, according to petitioners are just not enough. The online petition kicked off by Janis Restivo addresses Gov. Rick Scott, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office. It asks for “laws that are as strong for animal abuse as they are humans.”

As of Wednesday morning, 87,865 people had signed the Care2 Petition. Restivo’s goal is 90,000.

The incident that led to Corrao’s arrest occurred around 6:44 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2. 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."

The arrest that followed wasn’t a first for Corrao. He previously served time after being convicted in a case that involved the death of his neighbor’s two dogs. He was released from state prison on July 18, 2015, according to state records.

Pinky’s loss struck Busch Gardens hard. The flamingo was one of the park's "animal ambassadors." She was known to dance for park visitors, a performance often captured on video.

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.”

Whether the petition will spark conversation about making Florida’s animal cruelty laws stricter or not remains to be seen. Florida is currently ranked 14th overall for strict animal cruelty laws by the Humane Society of the United States. Florida is tied with Maryland, Pennsylvania and Louisiana, according to the animal rights organization’s 2015 rankings.

Regardless the outcome of the petition, Restivo hopes “this repeat offender is prosecuted to the highest level of our current laws.”

To find out more about the petition, visit Care2 Petitions online.

A court date has not yet been set in Corroa’s case. He was released from the Hillsborough County Jail Aug. 8 in lieu of $5,000 bond.

Photo of Pinky courtesy of Busch Gardens