With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Brown Pelicans Are Starving To Death In Southern California. How You Can Help
A brown pelican glides above the Pacific Ocean in Huntington Beach in 2021. A spate of pelican deaths has wildlife experts puzzled and worried.
(
Mike Lucas/Getty Images
/
iStockphoto
)
Wildlife experts are stumped over why scores of brown pelicans are starving to death across Southern California when there is plenty of fish for them to eat.
“They’re diving but they’re coming up empty,” said Debbie McGuire, executive director of the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach. “Hopefully we'll figure it out. There's a lot of us working on it.”
As of early Monday afternoon, the center had processed 128 pelicans, but only 55 were still alive.
Many did not survive the trip to the center.
Support for LAist comes from
“They're dead on arrival, and the others are dying really fast within the first few hours,” McGuire said.
Sick and far from home
Brown pelicans have been treated with IV fluids, vitamins and food.
(
Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center
)
The majority of birds are being found along the Orange County coast at beaches and marinas in Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, and Laguna Beach, McGuire said. Dana Point Harbor alone was where 18 sick birds were caught and transported in cages to the center.
McGuire said a surprising and alarming number of pelicans are being recovered inland in people’s backyards and parking lots in places such as Downey, Vernon, Hemet, and Whittier Narrows.
“They're probably following up the rivers in the watershed looking for food and then they get so far inland and then they run out of gas or food supply and they land there,” McGuire said.
Support for LAist comes from
One possible reason for why the pelicans are starving is that for some reason they can’t get to their most important food source: anchovy. McGuire said this may be because pelicans only dive to depths of 6 feet, while other marine birds like loons and cormorants can dive further and are not experiencing the same problems.
The brown pelicans are being held in pens as they recover from starvation and hypothermia.
(
Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center
)
Two years ago, brown pelicans faced a similar, unexplained crisis. The difference, McGuire said, is that the pelicans sickened in 2022 were younger while this time there is a mix of ages and illnesses seem much more severe.
Treated with “fish” shakes
At the Huntington Beach center, 10 staffers and 250 volunteers are taking shifts treating the surviving pelicans in tents and under heat lamps.
"If we can get them stable enough to get past the first two hours (after arrival) and get their body temperature up to a normal temperature, they seem to be surviving and doing a lot better," McGuire said.
The birds are taking in IV fluids and consuming protein “fish” shakes before they graduate to eating smelt and herring.
Support for LAist comes from
Some of the sick pelicans have also sustained injuries from being caught in fishing gear and are requiring surgery.
Encountering a sick pelican
Healthy brown pelicans are feisty and will snap at people who get too close, so it’s quite evident when they’re sick because of how listless they become.
“People walk right by them and they just they don't even care,” McGuire said. “They just don't have any energy to get away.”
If you come across a sick pelican, call animal control and expect to wait four to six hours before an officer arrives, McGuire said.
It’s not recommended to bring in the pelican yourself.
“It’s a big bird with a big beak and they will snap at you because they’re going to be afraid,” McGuire said.
Support for LAist comes from
How you can help
The center is taking donations to handle the spike in pelican patients. With each pelican's care costing about $45 per day, the daily bill for pelicans exceeds $2,500.
This is on top of the costs the center incurs for taking care of more than 700 other animals that include injured and sick geese, house finches, and mallards.
The center welcomes applications for volunteers.
Information on volunteering:
- Location: 21900 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach
- You must be 16
- You must commit to at least one four-hour shift a week for six months
- Things to know, according to the center: It is not glamorous, it is a commitment, it is emotional, but rewarding
Learn more about what do to if you find sick animal ▶
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
What do stairs have to do with California’s housing crisis? More than you might think, says this Culver City councilmember. -
Yes, it's controversial, but let me explain. -
Doctors say administrator directives allow immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and compromise medical care. -
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7 and went on to kill 12 people and destroy more than 6,800 homes and buildings. -
People moving to Los Angeles are regularly baffled by the region’s refrigerator-less apartments. They’ll soon be a thing of the past. -
Experts say students shouldn't readily forgo federal aid. But a California-only program may be a good alternative in some cases.
Best of LAist