Birds in care: Recent reports of increasing number of emaciated Brown Pelicans coming into care, serve as a stark reminder that our work in wildlife rehabilitation never truly ends. 📷 Ariana Gastelum

Hungry pelicans are still taking risks to find food, endangering themselves in the process. Out of 300+ Brown Pelican admissions, approximately one-third of them are arriving with injuries, many of which are caused by fishing hook and line entanglement. Many of these injuries require surgery and long-term care. #PelicanCrisis

Here’s a more detailed video report of the treatment of “Blue” the Brown Pelican severely injured by a pouch slashing in #SoCal :: youtu.be/byqdUHO-dx4?si=7sJk… Report/Video: Ariana Gastelum – at San Francisco, CA

We released "Blue" the Brown Pelican that came into care with a slashed pouch: After 500+ stitches and 45 days in care, she returned to the wild with another pelican who recovered from a seal bite: This sweet video captures the pair's emotional return to the wild.

Healing continues: Brown Pelican “Blue” had the remaining half of her stitches taken out last week: She is recovering from a slashed pouch in which it took 500+ sutures to repair: birdrescue.org/brighter-days… Blue is back in the aviary – with a new friend, a pelican who is healing from a bite wound from a sea lion altercation.

Multiple Brown Pelican patients are getting released with more than just their blue and federal bands: an electronic leg band for tracking with @CellTrackTech. Given that some blue-banded pelicans have been sighted nearly 14 years post-release, we’re enthusiastic about our involvement in a research project aimed at improving tracking of their whereabouts. #WildlifeResearch More information coming soon!