A Fife woman has been reunited with her stolen flamingo, a day after CCTV footage of a man pinching the bird went viral.
Video of the bizarre incident, which captured a man approaching a garden in Broomhead Drive in Dunfermline before grabbing one of the two ornamental pink sculptures and running off, had been viewed over 60,000 times.
Hundreds had also shared the footage on social media in the hope of shaming the man into returning the metal ornament to owner, Coreen Wightman.
Prank or theft?
Flamingo-mad Coreen initially thought the three foot tall brightly painted metal sculpture had been hidden by a neighbour playing a prank – but was shocked to discover it had been stolen after checking her security camera.
“I was in the summer house in the back garden and thought it had been a wind up by a friend but was shocked when the video showed the man snatching the flamingo and running off,” said Coreen.
“I had been just a few feet away from it with my back turned and never heard a thing.”
Coreen’s husband, William, had bought the pair as a present to decorate the couple’s caravan, Shell Beach, in Elie and had brought them home for the winter.
CCTV footage
Then as speculation on social media continued to mount as to who the culprit was and why only one of the bird’s had been stolen, the flamingo was returned by the man responsible, complete with an apology.
“There was a knock at the door and a very embarrassed man holding the missing flamingo,” Coreen explained.
“He was very apologetic saying that he couldn’t remember stealing the bird as he was drunk and that he was really sorry.
“It had been a relative that had showed him the hundreds of social media comments that saw him bring it back.
“Fair play to him I suppose, he could have just chucked it in the garden but he faced up to his wrongdoing and was at least man enough to knock the door and apologise in person.”
Coreen said she had been astounded by the interest in her missing flamingo and admitted it was great to have the two birds back together where they belong.
“I’m delighted to have them back together and hopefully that’s the way it will stay, they are famous enough now already.”