Pelican escapes Scottish zoo thanks to gust of wind

April 20 (UPI) — A pelican flew the coop at a Scottish zoo and was recaptured after being spotted wandering through a nearby area.

Residents in Edinburgh said they spotted the pelican wandering Saturday evening through the Corstorphine Hill area.

Laura Howarth, 47, who was out walking with her son, Ben, 15, called 999 to tell police about the exotic bird they spotted.

“We didn’t know who you’re supposed to call when you find a pelican,” she told the Edinburgh Evening News.

Howarth said the bird seemed friendly and calm.

Darren McGarry, head of living collections at Edinburgh Zoo, confirmed a pelican escaped Saturday thanks to some help from a gust of wind.

“One of our pelicans managed to fly over a fence and wall on Saturday evening,” he said. “She was returned safely from our car park by one of our keepers within thirty minutes, having also made her way to the hospital car park next door.”

“It is rare for this to happen and would have been an unusual sight for anyone who saw her,” McGarry said. “Pelicans are calm birds so she would not have been a danger to the public.”

It was unclear whether the pelican was the same bird that previously escaped from the zoo years ago.