Going along the famed Las Vegas Strip and in front of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino are their amazing fountains. World-renowned for their shows, they have been drawing the crowds day and night for decades. According to a post on X, a rare, Yellow-billed Loon made Lake Bellagio its home. Putting the fountains show to an immediate pause once the bird was detected; this is one of the 10 rarest birds in the US, and they wanted to ensure its survival.
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) responded on Facebook, “Rest assured, our experts have determined that the Bellagio fountains pose no harm to the bird, and we have instructed the hotel that the fountains can continue to operate without risk to any wildlife.” Still, the resort played it safe and kept the fountains off until NDOW came to relocate the bird.
Once humanely captured, the bird was taken to an unspecified and more remote location to ensure that it had the safety, peace, and security it deserved. Working with local experts, they determined that the bird was in perfect health before releasing it back into the wild. Commonly found along more coastal areas of the country, they are classified as a conservation risk because they have a small population and an ever-shrinking natural habitat.
Taking the night off and into the next day, the Bellagio fountains were off for essentially 24 hours, and the management was honored to do so. Doing the right thing might make you lose visitors for a night, but that Loon likely brought in a lot more than it lost. Seeing something that rare randomly in a place like Las Vegas just sounds like one of those gambling stories you hear at poker night, but you swear is a lie.
