A flock of flamingoes now stretches as far as the eye can see in these pictures from Florida.
The fake birds stand in Lake Eola Park as part of a breast cancer awareness scheme by Florida Hospital.
It has added the 900 birds to the park in Orlando to represent the number of women who will be newly diganosed with the condition in the city this year.
Some 1,890 pink yard flamingoes have been installed in 12 central Florida locations – each showing the number of women expected to be diagnosed in their respective cities.
It's not just swans at @LakeEolaPark.@FloridaHospital's flamingos are helping raise awareness about breast cancer screening. #JoinTheFlock pic.twitter.com/JLftlUeE4m
— Orlando FL (@citybeautiful) October 10, 2017
While the birds are making a new home at Lake Eola Park, the scheme has been running since 2011.
“The idea of Pink Out is to raise awareness about the importance of screening and early detection in the fight against breast cancer,” said a hospital spokesman.
“Pink Out is also a fundraising initiative, with funds helping uninsured or underinsured women access mammograms and other services.”
The scheme funds the hospital’s Breast Cancer Care Fund which has paid for mammograms for thousands of women since 2010, resulting in 80 diagnoses.
Pink Out from Florida Hospital coincides with October’s Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer said: “Each year we enjoy seeing these flamingo flocks pop up around town, and they serve as an effective visual reminder of the importance of mammograms.”
“Breast cancer is very treatable when detected early, and we want women to know that getting a mammogram is not only extremely important, it can also be convenient and affordable,” said Dr Lisa Minton, surgeon and breast cancer specialist at Florida Hospital.
There’s a history stretching back to the 1950s of pink yard flamingoes being used as garden decorations in Florida.
