A pink flamingo in Brazil has a new leg to stand on - an artificial one.

Zookeepers at a zoo in south-eastern Brazil say this week they think it is the first time a flamingo has used a prosthetic leg.

The six-year-old Chilean flamingo at the Sorocaba zoo fractured his left leg a month ago. It was partially amputated to halt an infection from killing the bird.

Veterinarian Andre Costa performed the amputation. He says the bird would not have survived with just one leg.

Mr Costa decided to give the artificial leg a try. The seven-inch carbon limb was donated by a local prosthesis manufacturer.

Within days the flamingo was adjusting nicely to his new leg - even tucking it under his body to make the flamingo's classic one-leg standing pose.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.