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Coastal releases begin for emaciated brown pelicans cared for at San Pedro bird center

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Six healthy California brown pelicans took flight off the coast of Rancho Palos Verdes on Wednesday, June 8, after being released by wildlife rehabbers following a month-long recuperation from illness and injuries.

More than 240 pelicans have been brought into the Los Angeles Wildlife Center – International Bird Rescue, in San Pedro, since May, said Kylie Clatterbuck, the Wildlife Center manager.

“They’ve been coming in starving, anemic and dehydrated,” she said.

The cause is still unknown, she said, though food supply issues have been generally floated as responsible.

The pelicans, which were removed from the endangered species list in 2009, have been making a decent comeback, Clatterbuck said.

But the surge in emaciated pelicans is cause for concern, and conservation workers have responded quickly to the need.

Some of the birds have been found with multiple fish hooks, others had been hit by cars or had fractures from unknown causes. But those are secondary causes, Clatterbuck said. Rather, the mix of fledglings, second-year birds and mature adults needing help have led conservation workers to think a food supply issue might be at the bottom of the problems, though nothing definitive has yet been determined.

“Biologists are still trying to determine if there’s not enough fish or if there’s a need to feed deeper,” Clatterbuck said. “But the fact is they’re starving. We don’t see disease. We are seeing injuries but we’re guessing those are more secondary as they’re taking more risks,” such as hanging out around fishing docks.

The goal in rehabilitation is to get them healthy and to above-weight levels.

The first 12 pelicans were released on Friday, June 3.

“We hope to do several a week,” Clatterbuck said. “We pick the best flyers and do a full physical exam.”

All of the birds are released with both federal and Wildlife Center tracking bands.

“They’re amazing birds,” Clatterbuck said. “They’re really resilient.”

Wednesday’s release, on what was World Oceans Day, was done at the Terranea Resort.

“It’s a beautiful, private spot,” Clatterbuck said. “There aren’t any major piers or populated beaches around so it gives them a chance to get their bearings.”

Brown pelicans weigh 3,500 to 5,000 kilograms as adults and have a wing span of 6 feet, she said, adding that their bones are hollow, which allows the fairly large birds to take flight.

Many of the pelicans have come from local areas, where they’ve been found often begging for food, Clatterbuck said, but others have come in from Santa Barbara, Ventura County and Orange County.

The good news, she said, is that those birds that have been taken in seem to be turning a corner, with fewer new arrivals now being seen.

“We don’t want to keep them too long,” she said. “We’ve seen a decline in admissions in the past few weeks.”

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Source: Orange County Register

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