Police: two flamingos die after bungled frat prank

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Police say a Mississippi college student has been arrested after bungled prank led to the deaths of two Chilean flamingos at the Hattiesburg Zoo.

Hattiesburg police spokesman Lt. Jon Traxler says 19-year-old Devin Nottis of Pascagoula is charged with grand larceny. The University of Southern Mississippi student was arrested Wednesday night.

Police say that during a scavenger hunt, Nottis took a flamingo instead of taking a picture of the bird.

The executive director of the organization that runs the Hattiesburg Zoo says a female bird was taken at 1:08 a.m. Tuesday and found later that morning, several miles away. Rick Taylor says it was returned to the zoo and had to be euthanized because of its injuries.

Officials said a second flamingo was injured in the incident and died Wednesday.

This story was originally published October 9, 2014 at 2:06 PM with the headline "Police: two flamingos die after bungled frat prank."