Pink Pelican rescued in Vught two weeks after escape from Belgian zoo
The Den Bosch Animal Ambulance captured an escaped pink pelican on the golf course in Vught on Monday after the animal had been flying around the Netherlands for at least a week. The majestic water bird is tired and hungry but in good health, the Animal Ambulance said on Facebook.
The pink pelican was first spotted in Helvoirt and surrounds about a week ago and caused quite a bit of confusion. The bird had a ring on, so it must have an owner, but no one had reported the animal missing.
On Sunday, expert Jan Harteman contacted the Animal Ambulance. He had gotten a look at the bird’s ring number and managed to trace its history. The pelican was born in Lithuania and lived in a Dutch zoo until 2019. It then moved to a zoo in Belgium, where it escaped from two weeks ago.
“After an intensive search on our part, the pelican settled on the Vught golf course,” the Animal Ambulance said after capturing the bird on Monday. “We deliberately kept this quiet to give the pelican and the people of the golf course some rest.”
With the help of employees from safari park Beekse Bergen, Animal Ambulance workers managed to capture the enormous bird in its sleep on Monday morning. “The pelican has been taken to Beekse Bergen, and it will be picked up there by the owner, the zoo from Belgium. He has already eaten plenty of fish,” the Animal Ambulance said.
