A huge pelican escaped from its zoo and landed on a busy street filled with commuters.

Astonishing footage shows the seabird in the middle of a busy street, appearing confused about its surroundings in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, on February 15.

Animal lovers quickly formed a protective human cordon around the pelican to keep it safe.

Keepers from nearby Chengdu Zoo arrived to retrieve the bird—a full-grown male named Little Blue—which is now reported to be safely back in its enclosure.

A spokesman told local media: 'The pelican simply flew out, but was unharmed and is now back with us.'

The zoo expressed gratitude to the kind-hearted locals who helped bring the pelican back and explained that staff usually trim one of their wing feathers to prevent the birds from flying onto roads and creating traffic hazards.

This prevents the pelican from maintaining balance and flying long distances.

However, the zoo added: 'Flying is in a bird's nature, and we don't want to restrict them too much.'