St James’s Park is one of the most visited parks in the country and is surrounded by famous landmarks that include Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace and Clarence House. The park is steeped in history and tradition, and that is exactly why our six pelicans -Gargi, Tiffany, Isla, Sun, Moon and Star - call it home.
Over 350 years ago, in 1664, the Russian ambassador presented King Charles II with two pelicans, and they’ve been a feature of the park ever since.
The band of six lead a lovely life in St James’s Park. swimming in the lake, roosting on pelican rock, and being fed their favourite fish, roach. The resident pelicans are semi-wild, and apart from feeding and the odd vet visit, interaction with people is almost non-existent.
Normally, the pelicans tend not to wander too far from the lake but, with the park now largely empty of visitors, they have been spotted spreading out on benches and even taking a stroll on Birdcage Walk. However, if visitors should ever find themselves in close proximity to a pelican, please respect them by giving them space, and do not touch or feed them.
Before lockdown, the daily feeding of the pelicans was a big hit with visitors, but to avoid any potential breaches of social distancing, we’ve been feeding them out of public view. We’ve had lots of people get in touch to find out how they are doing and whether they are still being fed, so we decided to bring the pelicans to you in your own homes.
To watch the live stream, simply visit https://www.facebook.com/TheRoyalParksLondon on Thursday 7 May at 2.30pm. We hope you enjoy.
