Press "Enter" to skip to content

There’s been a sharp spike in sick and dying pelicans, San Pedro bird rescue center says

Two sick pelicans crashed in the middle of a college graduation at Pepperdine University on April 28. They’ve shown up sick and stumbling around airport runways at LAX and on city streets.
The International Bird Rescue Los Angeles wildlife center in San Pedro sent out an alert on Thursday after a spike in sick and dying Brown Pelicans coming into their care this week. As of Thursday, the count is at 30, a number that doubled in just a few days.
 
Concern for Brown Pelicans that live along the coast of Southern California has been mounting as the number of sick and dying birds reported suddenly increased over the past week. The International Bird Rescue Center in San Pedro has seen a large uptick in the number of sick and dying birds being brought in. Photo By Charles Bennett
The pelicans are showing signs of emaciation, hypothermia and anemia.
According to the center, it’s not unusual to see an uptick in hospitalized pelicans this time of year.  But those birds are usually new fledglings coming to shore searching for food.
The sick birds brought into the care of the rescue center are older, in their second year.
Officials said they are not sure what is causing the illness yet, but that in 2008, and again in 2011, there was a similar “pelican crash.”
It may be related to climate cycles such as El Niño or La Niña, and movement or lack of pelicans’ preferred fish stocks, said Russ Curtis, Online Communications and Technology Manager for the center.
The Bird Rescue center is asking for donations to help care for the birds.  Anyone who spots a sick pelican should call their local animal control or contact the center at 310-514-2573.
Related Articles

‘Shark Stories’ event will share tales of survival, science and, of course, sharks

Wave pool contest in Central California farmland showcases surfing of the future

15 takeaways from the Surf Ranch in Lemoore, the first big public contest at Kelly Slater’s wave pool

VIDEO: New world record for biggest wave ever ridden — a massive 80-footer

Great white shark bill passes the 1st legislative vote; here’s what it would do


Source: Oc Register

Be First to Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *