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SoCal Brown Pelicans Released Back Into The Wild After Surge Of Sick And Injured Birds
The group of 11 Southern California Brown Pelicans flying free once again after being rehabilitated in San Pedro.
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Courtesy of Ariana Gastelum with the International Bird Rescue
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Topline:
The International Bird Rescue's first Southern California group of 11 rehabilitated Brown Pelicans — sick and injured by an unknown source — were released back into the wild Wednesday after weeks of recovery in San Pedro.
Why it matters: The pelican patients are among the more than 350 sick and injured birds that arrived at the organization’s two California wildlife centers since late April, including several that were rescued from a lake at SoFi Stadium, a Malibu fire station, and on the LAX tarmac.
Why now: Pelicans are still being brought in for care, but there’s also signs that some of the birds are successfully foraging again, according to the organization.
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“We can’t keep them in care forever, and we can’t fix what’s ailing the ocean,” Rebecca Duerr, International Bird Rescue’s director of research & veterinary science, said in a statement.
The backstory: The organization's first Northern California group of eight Brown Pelicans were released in the city of Sausalito on May 30.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is investigating what’s behind the surge of sick birds, and the International Bird Rescue said in a statement there’s no conclusive proof for what caused the crisis. The situation is similar to May 2022, when the organization cared for at least 350 starving Brown Pelicans.
What's next: International Bird Rescue has a special banding program that will show how well the rehabilitated pelicans do now that they’re back in the wild, the organization said in a statement.
Go deeper: Read more about the sick Brown Pelicans in SoCal and how to help.
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