Pelicans stabbed
Huntington Beach, CA (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Apr 10, 2005
County: Orange
Disposition: Open
Case Images: 5 files available
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
It will take about two weeks before bird experts will know if emergency stitches have repaired the pouch of a pelican that apparently had been deliberately slashed.
A veterinarian performed surgery on April 12, 2005 on the endangered brown pelican. If the stitches take, the pelican would need another three months to recover before it could be returned to the wild, said Sharon Weeks, development director of the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach.
The bird, a female found Sunday, April 10 in Huntington Beach with a fish hook and fishing line in its wing, is the fourth pelican recovered in the area with similar injuries to its pouch in recent weeks, Weeks said.
One of the wounded birds has died. The other two were treated by the Pacific Wildlife Project in Laguna Niguel.
It was unknown whether all four birds were deliberately slashed or if the incidents are related.
The bird rescue group is concerned the slashings may be a repeat of a rash of deliberate pelican mutilations in 2002 and 2003, when as many as 20 dead or injured pelicans, some apparently shot, were found near Los Angeles Harbor.
Pelicans use their pouches to catch fish from the ocean and the injured birds would die of starvation and dehydration if not treated.
The Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center has offered a $1,500 reward to anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever was responsible for the injuries to the pelicans, which are protected under state and federal law.
Case UpdatesA California Brown Pelican -- the only survivor among four pelicans recently found with their pouches slashed -- underwent more pouch-repair surgery Friday.
Reward money totaling $10,000 has been offered for information leading to those responsible for injuring the four pelicans discovered over recent months with their pouches slashed. Three of them have died, Weeks said, adding that the prognosis for the one operated on today is "very good," although more surgery will be needed.
The California Brown Pelican is an endangered species, protected by both state and federal laws, and it is estimated that only about 5,000 breeding pairs of the bird remain, Weeks said.
Animal cruelty is a felony in California, and individuals violating the Endangered Species Act are subject to fines of up to $100,000 and imprisonment up to one year. Organizations violating the Endangered Species Act may be fined up to $200,000.
Anyone who sees someone harming pelicans or other marine wildlife should call the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's enforcement division, (310) 328-1516. Anyone finding injured or oiled waterfowl should call the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center at (714) 374-5587. | Source: NBC4 TV - may 6, 2005
Update posted on May 9, 2005 - 10:16AM |
Calif. A six-thousand dollar reward is being offered for information on those responsible for slashing the pouches of several pelicans.
Since late March, five endangered brown pelicans have been found between Dana Point and Huntington Beach in Orange County. All of them had torn pouches.
One of the birds died, one recovered and has been released, and the other three are being treated at two wildlife rescue centers.
Federal authorities say they will launch an investigation into the incidents and several organizations have contributed to the reward fund.
The Humane Society says it could be a case of animal cruelty. A spokeswoman for the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center says pelicans often get caught in fishermen's lines when they dive in the water to get the bait. In some cases, a fisherman could have been trying to get his hook back. | Source: KESQ - April 18, 2005
Update posted on Apr 20, 2005 - 8:34PM |
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