New Dalmatian pelicans at WWT Arundel Wetland Centre

On Thursday 27 March WWT Arundel released two new pelicans onto the water at their new home at WWT Arundel Wetland Centre. Odin, aged 2.5 years and Logan, aged 1.5 years join females Storm and Rogue in the special exhibit Pelican Cove exhibit at the wetland centre.

Sam McKinlay Head Keeper at WWT Arundel said: “Our Pelicans are named after characters in the Marvel universe - the new males were named by Collections & Grounds Supervisor Ben Perrett (Logan) and Molly Foote-Wyman, Trainee Keeper (Odin).”

Dalmatian pelicans were once a familiar sight on UK wetlands 2000 years ago, but they became extinct as their wetland homes were drained for farms and people hunted them for food. They are the largest and rarest of the pelican species. Currently, wild Dalmatian pelicans migrate between central Eurasia, Taiwan, the Persian Gulf, and Siberia.

The new male pelicans first arrived in the UK from a zoo in Budapest in February 2025. They finished their quarantine period in the UK and then continued an isolation period at WWT Slimbridge in the Conservation Breeding Unit before coming to WWT Arundel on March 20. The two new birds stayed in the newly constructed Pelican Barn for a week until they acclimatised to the sights and sounds of the wetland site. The Pelican Barn provides an area for the birds to be off-show for periods and a space for Keepers to do their health checks and weigh them.

The pelicans are currently at home in the Pelican Cove exhibit with its huge pond and a pair of islands for them to perch on to preen their feathers and sunbathe.

Visitors can learn more about Dalmatian Pelicans at a Keeper’s Talk each day at 2 pm at Pelican Cove. Arundel Wetland Centre is open 10 am – 4.30 pm each day with the Lloyd of the Flies Wetland Bug Hunt trail, pond dipping and boat safaris running during the Easter Holidays. Search WWT Arundel.