Pelican Rescue from Arizona to Sea World in San Diego

In the late spring 8 brown pelicans were rescued in Arizona; 4 in Tuscon and 4 in Phoenix. The pelicans were taken to local wildlife habitat shelters and they were given nourishment and stabilized. The birds were then flown on a large passenger airplane to San Diego, CA where Sea World took them to their rescue center. The birds were in poor health, had severe burns on their webbed feet and were covered in lice. With a lot of TLC, the Sea World avian experts were able to return them to the wild recently at Mission Bay in San Diego.

In 2012, 151 brown pelicans have been rescued to date and taken to the center at Sea World. All but 17 have been released. Last year 175 pelicans were rescued and returned to the wild.

Experts feel they birds get blown off course during migratory periods by severe storms. The desert floor burns their webbed feet and sometimes the skin has to be removed for the birds to recover. They feel it is the mirage effect like when you are driving and think you see water up ahead. The birds think they are diving into water but are diving into asphalt or the desert floor; both cause severe damage to the birds. The birds cannot survive without fish and salt water so luckily there are wildlife shelters for the rescued birds.