Can You Hurl Me Now? Pelican Swallows Phone (Briefly)

Perhaps they were keen to order a nice sardine pizza for delivery, but a group of zoo pelicans found their call dropped when one of them just couldn't wait 30 minutes and swallowed the phone.

First reported by local news station KIDK and subsequently by the AP, visitors at the Tautphaus Park Zoo in Idaho Falls, Idaho, observed several birds playing with the cell phone that had been accidentally dropped into in the pelican enclosure. It was game-over when one in the group swallowed it altogether.

Scrambling zookeepers were able to avoid subjecting the entire group to X-ray analysis to determine which one ate the phone. After a short period of time, quite possibly after reading the fine print on roaming charges, the guilty bird threw the phone back up.

No harm, no fowl: They're still unsure as to who lost their phone at the zoo, but the bird is fine in the wake of this event that serves as reminder. Zoo superintendent Bill Gersonde commenting to KIDK provides update and caution:

"Luckily the bird regurgitated it so it wouldn't harm him. We just need folks to be really cautious when they're in the zoo and remember that they're guests in the animals homes and they need to keep their personal belongings as close to them as possible."

Photo courtesy of NOAA.