A runaway pelican from Blackpool Zoo was spotted swimming among swans at a pond 30 miles away – but escaped again before keepers could catch it.
The unnamed 17-week-old bird was spooked away from its enclosure by a flock of squawking gulls on August 4.
Since then, there have been a few sightings around Lancashire, but the feathered fugitive always manages to stay one step ahead of its pursuers.
On August 12, a member of the public saw it bobbing on the sea at Granny’s Bay near Lytham.
Keepers waded out and managed to get within metres of the bird before it spread its five-foot wingspan and took off.
Most recently, it was seen at the picturesque Middleton Nature Reserve in Heysham, described as a ‘stunning mosaic of scrub, fen and grassland habitats’ by the local Wildlife Trust.
It may be a haven for wheatears, whinchats and lesser redpolls, but it’s not a familiar environment for an eastern white pelican native to Africa.
Nevertheless, it seemed content to spend time with a bevy of swans on the water there – until the team from Blackpool Zoo turned up, and it flapped away once again.
A spokesperson for the zoo said: ‘We continue to receive calls with positive sightings and our keepers respond to each one.
‘The nature of the rescue is extremely complex and difficult, but our team will continue in their efforts.
‘If people see the pelican, we ask they take a picture and send it us on 07799 226908 as soon as possible.’
Blackpool is the only zoo in the country to have successfully bred the pelicans, making the escapee even more important.
In April this year, three months before the bird was scared away, the zoo put out a job advert seeking people to wear giant inflatable bird costumes in an effort to ward off seagulls.
Over 250 people from countries across the world applied for the role.
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