World's Oldest Flamingo 'Greater' Dies at Age 83 in Australia

"Greater"- the world's oldest flamingo- died Thursday, at age 83 in an Australian Zoo.

The 83-year-old bird was humanely euthanized at the Adelaide Zoo- his home since the 1930's. The bird was suffering from serious complications due to arthritis.

"When Greater's physical health started to deteriorate last year, our veterinary team began a course of anti-inflammatory pain medication to ensure Greater's comfort. Greater responded well to treatment and remarkably survived the cold winter," the zoo's SA Chief Executive, Elaine Bensted, said in a news release.

"This week Greater took a turn for the worse and the difficult decision was made to humanely put Greater to sleep after Greater was no longer responding to treatment and Greater's quality of life had significantly deteriorated," Bensted added. "Although this is an extremely sad loss for us all, it was the right thing to do. There was no additional medical treatment that would have improved Greater's quality of life."

Back in October 2008, Greater was attacked by a group of young people, the Zoo said.

Greater is survived by long-term friend Chilly- a Flamingo from Chile. Zoo authorities are monitoring the 65-year-old bird to see how he reacts to the death, AFP reported.

Several people posted their comments on the zoo's website expressing their grief over Greater's death.

"No trip to the zoo is complete without seeing the flamingo, he will be sadly missed by everyone. I visited earlier this year and glad I took some extra pictures of him," a commentator posted in the Zoo's website. Sympathy to the wonderful zoo staff who have looked after over the many years of his life."

Greater Flamingos

American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) or Greater Flamingo are found on all continents except Australia and Antarctica.

These birds have pink bills and pale plumage and are huge with a 1.5 m (nearly five feet) wide wingspan. They stand about 1.2 m tall and weight around 2.1 to 4.1 kg (eight pounds).

Flamingos are often seen bending their long and graceful necks to avoid straining muscles.