Print Page - Pelican, ’stomped on’ by fisherman, recovers (Horrible person)

A California brown pelican whose beak was stomped on and crushed by a fisherman is recovering at a Huntington Beach care center, though the bird must heal further before being released.

The bird was injured Sunday when it swooped down on a fish on the Newport Beach pier that belonged to fisherman Daniel Moreno III, 19, of Perris, Calif.

Moreno was accused of stomping on the pelican’s beak and splitting it. He was arrested on suspicion of cruelty to animals, said Newport Beach police Sgt. Steve Burdette.

“The fracture goes the length of the bill,” said Debbie McGuire, wildlife director at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center, where the bird is recovering. “It will take at least a month to heal.”

The bird is eating but not yet flying. The long recovery time is meant to ensure that the beak is strong enough to withstand the 60-foot, head-first plunge pelicans typically make to catch fish in the ocean.

Throngs of brown pelicans, which were recently removed from the endangered species list, turned up along the California coast weak and thin in recent months, a likely result of lack of prey due to shifts in ocean conditions because of El Niño.

Some of the birds appeared to become more bold in approaching humans for food.

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Other Nature Related Information => General Nature Discussion => Topic started by: Donna on 21-Mar-10, 08:57:40 AM