Wednesday morning a White Pelican escaped from the Artis Zoo in Amsterdam. White Pelicans are native to Russia, Eastern Europe and Africa. According to a zoo spokesperson, although Amsterdam is not an ideal habitat for a White Pelican, the bird should be able to survive in the wild.
Great White Pelican by ~Shanth, Creative Commons on Flickr
In 2005 another Pelican escaped from Artis. The bird left the area and settled in Friesland, in the north of the Netherlands. The Pelican thrived at first but later fell into ill health and the zoo was able to recapture it and return it to Artis.
Source: Pelikaan gevlogen uit Artis
