Race against time to find missing Pelican Stanley who fled Blackpool Zoo after being spooked by seagulls

A pelican who cannot feed himself is missing from a zoo after being spooked by a flock of seagulls. Keepers face a race against time to find fledgling Stanley who flew from his enclosure onto the roof of a flamingo house after being scared by the gulls and was then "taken on a gust of wind".

Staff at Blackpool Zoo lost sight of the bird at around 4pm on Friday and believe it is heading towards the South Shore area of the resort but have advised not to approach the bird in case it becomes frightened.

He is still at large and is described as 4ft tall, with brown feathers. Zoo keepers managed to track the vulnerable bird for around two hours after it escaped but then lost trace of it. It has since been sighted in various locations along the Fylde coast, including in Lytham estuary and the Bloomfield and Waterloo area of Blackpool.

It is understood the bird is unable to feed itself, so it is imperative it is found as soon as possible. The zoo hasn't experienced such an incident in its 50-year history and previously said searches for the pelican are continuing from "dawn to dusk every day" and they "remain hopeful" the bird will be found.

In a statement to LancsLive, the zoo added: "Pelicans are beautiful, docile creatures and there is no threat to the public. We would ask that people do not approach the bird if they see it as it they may scare it.

"Blackpool Zoo has housed this magnificent species for many years and we are the only collection in the UK to have successfully bred them, which makes the youngster very special. This was was down to the ever-growing problems we, and the town, continue to have with seagulls."

"It was so bizarre, watching Blackpool Zoo keepers running around Stanley Park," said Emily Street who