Pelican missing for almost three weeks from Blackpool Zoo found 65 miles away in Knaresborough

The Eastern white pelican was scared by gulls and blown away by a gust of wind on 4 August and was found at Hay-a-Park Gravel Pits waters in Knaresborough on Wednesday afternoon.

A 24-hour hotline was set up and manned for the entirety of the search, and keepers were called out at all hours, quickly responding to any sightings of the missing bird.

Zoo keepers travelled from Blackpool to Knaresborough before successfully rescuing and returning the pelican back to its home.

A spokesperson for Blackpool Zoo said: "It was extremely important for us to rescue this pelican and return it to its flock as they are very social birds and, as a non-native species, it needed to be back with its own kind.

“There were confirmed sightings from as near to home as Lytham and Fleetwood, to as far away as Harrogate and, where it was eventually rescued, in Knaresborough.”

The pelican is now in the animal hospital at the zoo, where it has been given a full health check, had its wings clipped, and will be quarantined before being returned to the flock in the near future.

The spokesperson added: “On behalf of everyone at the zoo, we would like to sincerely thank the public for their invaluable help in this search.

“Many went above and beyond to assist by sending pictures, videos and exact coordinates of sightings, going back to locations to keep watch for hours on end and even bringing food for keepers when they were responding to calls.

“Particular thanks goes to a wonderful family in Knaresborough who saw keepers trying to reach the pelican in the lake on Wednesday and brought a kayak for them to use - without their kind gesture and support, the rescue would not have been possible.

"We look forward to seeing it out and about on the pelican lake with the rest of its family soon, and we are sure that, now it is a local celebrity, lots of people will want to come and see it.”