Pelicans Mysteriously Falling from Sky on West Coast

Pelican Bird photo

"Hundreds of birds, disoriented or dead"
Something strange is happening on the West coast of the US. Hundreds of pelicans have been falling from the sky, some crashing into cars and boats, other are found many miles inland. "Rescuers are wondering whether the illness is caused by a virus, or even by contaminants washed into the ocean after recent fires across Southern California. Many of the birds also have swollen feet."

Read on for more details.

Brown Pelican photo

Mysterious Malady?
Bird-rescue workers say that dead or disoriented pelicans have been found from southern Oregon to Baja California, Mexico.

From the Seattle Times:

"These birds are on the freeway, getting run over," said Jay Holcomb, executive director of the rescue center in San Pedro. "A bunch we've seen have been hit. They've been landing on yards five miles inland. When some of the people have captured them in parking lots, they just sit in the corner. They just go pick them up."
"Maybe the weather has been particularly difficult on them," said Heather Nevill, a veterinarian tracking the problem for the International Bird Rescue Research Center. "Maybe the fish stocks are particularly low. It might be more than one thing, all coming together at once."

Veterinarians and volunteers are nursing many pelicans back to health, but this is expensive and can't be done for all of them.

From the Guardian:

"These birds are on the freeway, getting run over," said Jay Holcomb, executive director of the rescue centre in San Pedro. "A bunch we've seen have been hit. They've been landing on yards five miles inland. When some of the people have captured them in parking lots, they just sit in the corner. They just go pick them up."

Via Seattle Times, Associated Press

Photos: Wikipedia

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