Pelican Patrol

Article and photography by Tyler Hustrulid.

In December, reports of dead or injured Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) washing-up on our local beaches began to increase.  These pelicans all shared a similar injury: a single broken wing.  Authorities suspect a human perpetrator, due to the nature of the birds’ condition.  Rescue workers have tried very hard to rehabilitate the injured birds with no success.

In January, the Humane Society issued a statement and offered a reward for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of those responsible.  They have asked that beachgoers please continue to report any injured pelican sightings.

We thought we would lend a hand by giving Lumina News staff writer Brian Freskos a lift over to nearby Masonboro Island to spend some time searching for injured birds.  Fortunately, we did not find any birds to report but we did get a close-up look at the ongoing beach renourishment project underway on the island.

If you have anything to report about this unfortunate situation, please contact the Sea Bisquet Shelter on Oak Island or the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

Sea Bisquet Shelter:
Email: Seabisquetshelter@yahoo.com
Telephone: 910.278.7871
Web: http://seabiscuitshelter.blogspot.com/

NC Wildlife Resources Commission:
Telephone: 800.662.7137
Web: http://www.ncwildlife.org/