Take the Bull by the Horns
by Kevin Foster
Within the last 60 days wildlife rehab centers have been overwhelmed with the intake of brown
pelicans. Fishing game wildlife biologists are unsure of the cause for all the starving pelicans from San Diego to the Monterey Bay. Some speculate that the lack of food is due to algae. Others speculate it’s due to the water temperatures causing the fish food supply to go much deeper into the ocean. All the testing is showing no exact cause other than they are starving.
Rehabilitation centers are maxed out with pelicans and struggling. This is due to the fact that the
pelicans eat up to a pound of fish a day which ultimately is quite expensive for feeding literally hundreds and hundreds of pelicans along the California coast.
The various wildlife centers are doing their best to help each other; when one center is maxed out they
call on the next center to either see if they may have room or are able to make room for more pelicans.
Once the pelicans that have been brought in starving are fed and allowed time to regain health, they are
then being released in the San Francisco Bay where there is an adequate food supply available. Luckily
now the pelican intake has slowed.
At this time donations are desperately needed at all the wildlife rehabilitation centers, and especially the
International Bird Rescue Center in San Pedro, CA. If you are interested in helping out, you can go to
their various websites and see what you may be able to do for our coastal pelicans.