Confused Pelican rescued downtown (CA)

[Donna]

A "young of year" brown pelican, which means born this year, was found wandering in downtown on Wednesday June 16 near the El Cortez Hotel. Two passers by saw the bird drinking from the gutter and trying to find food in the bushes. With the help of San Diego Police, they contacted Marie Molloy, founder of Wildlife Assist Volunteers, a group that captures and transports wild animals in trouble to the appropriate treatment facilities. Molloy netted the emaciated sea bird and delivered it to the SeaWorld Oiled Wildlife Care Center which cares for injured sea birds and animals. Kim Peterson, Supervisor for Birds at SeaWorld, received the animal along with aviculturist Sarah McCauley. Together they did an assessment of the animal and determined that the bird was just a few months old and was severely malnourished, dehydrated and infested with lice. The young bird was the 41st similar pelican that they have received since May 20th. "Every one that we can salvage and return to the wild to breed is important to the whole population" Peterson said. "Even though people are seeing large numbers of pelicans now doesn't meant there are more" she said. The brown pelican was just recently removed from the endangered species list. San Diego has seen large numbers of the iconic brown bird this year but fewer birds have been noted in areas of Baja California, another area with a traditionally large pelican population.