One of the most photographed sights of Mykonos is the pelicans that you can meet while walking in Hora. This goes back to 1958 when a pelican got separated from the flock and fell inside the sea, next to a fishing boat. The fisherman saved the bird and helped him get stronger again. Everyone loved the pelican and the fishermen always gave him fish to eat. They named him “Petros” and he became the mascot of the island till he died in 1986.
When Jackie Kennedy visited the island, she donated a female pelican to the town named Irini. The zoo of Luxembourg also donated a male pelican named Petros (named after the first pelican-mascot of the island). In 1995, another wounded pelican arrived at the island and thus today there are three pelicans on the island. They are very popular and loved by the inhabitants and the tourists of the island.
