Pelican escapes from Exmoor Zoo in Barnstaple

The pelican has never escaped from the zoo before

Zookeepers are looking for an escaped pelican which flew off on Monday.

The bird took flight from a tree at Exmoor Zoo at 14:00 BST while workers were cutting the feathers of the 10-strong pink-backed pelican flock.

Danny Reynolds, from the Barnstaple attraction, said it would not be easy to catch the pelican, which could have covered 50 miles by now.

Anyone who sees the bird, which has a 2.5m (8ft) wingspan, is asked to "admire it from afar" and tell the zoo.

Mr Reynolds said there had been no sightings of the bird but if it was spotted in an "easy" location, the zoo would send a capture team out to try to it.

It would have dropped down from the sky during the rain last night and could likely be at a lake or reservoir, he added.

It is not known which direction the three-year-old bird was heading when it flew from a tree at the zoo.