Pelican escapes from Blackpool Zoo

The long-beaked bird was reportedly blown away from its enclosure by a gust of wind after it was spooked by a flock of seagulls last Friday (August 4).

Because it is only three-months-old, the bird hasn’t had its wings clipped, and it has since been spotted flying around the resort since its escape.

The youngster is ‘very special’, said the zoo, because Blackpool is the only place in the UK which has successfully bred them.

Zoo workers have been searching for the bird for four days and last caught sight of it heading towards South Shore. It has since been spotted by members of the public and searches are continuing, with people urged to report any sightings to the Zoo’s duty manager on 07799 226908.

The pelican (pictured) is described as 4ft tall with brown feathers and doesn’t pose a threat to the public. However, people are advised not to approach the bird if they see it, as this might scare it away.

A spokesman for Blackpool Zoo said: “We can confirm that a young pelican was scared by a flock of seagulls at around 2pm on Friday (August 4), causing it to try to fly onto the roof of our flamingo house and it was taken on a gust of wind.

“At 14-weeks-old, it had only just grown its adult feathers, so it had not had its wings clipped yet.

“Keepers followed it out of the zoo and lost sight of it at 4pm, when it was headed in the direction of the South Shore area of the resort.

"It has been seen in the area since and keepers are following up all sightings.

"Searches are continuing from dawn to dusk every day and we remain hopeful that it will be found.

"Pelicans are beautiful, docile creatures and there is no threat to the public. We would ask that people do not approach the bird if they see it as it they may scare it.

"Blackpool Zoo has housed this magnificent species for many years and we are the only collection in the UK to have successfully bred them, which makes the youngster very special.

"This is the first time we have had an incident like this, which was down to the ever-growing problems we, and the town, continue to have with seagulls.

"It is 4ft tall, with brown feathers and we would ask that any recent sightings are reported to our Duty Manager on 07799 226908.”