Int. Bird Rescue: Someone Deliberately Injuring Pelicans - Spectrum News 1

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SAN PEDRO, Calif. — Almost half a dozen pelicans are being taken care of at the International Bird Rescue in San Pedro after they suffered cuts made with a scalpel, according to a veterinarian.

What You Need To Know

Almost half a dozen pelicans are being taken care of at the International Bird Rescue in San Pedro after they suffered cuts made with a scalpel, according to a veterinarian

The injured pelicans were found in Marina Del Rey and Ventura Harbor

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects brown pelicans and harming them is a crime

There is a $5,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the person or people responsible

Veterinarian Rebecca Duerr has done surgery on five of the pelicans that have severe pouch injuries.

“Linear cuts through the bird’s pouch, all the way back to back of their mouth. Then continuing back behind their eye, on to the back of their head, around the back of their neck,” she said describing the injuries.

Pelicans need their pouches to feed and survive. Dr. Duerr said the slashed pouches and injuries on the California brown pelicans are the equivalent of having a human’s esophagus removed.

She has done surgery on hundreds, probably closer to a thousand birds during her 11 years with the organization. Duerr said these pelican injuries are not like the usual fishing line or hook cuts she has seen over the years.

Dr. Duerr said since December of 2019, she has seen five birds with the same types of injuries. She said there is no way these cuts can be an accidental.

“Even plunge diving on to an upright machete wouldn’t do this type of damage to a bird where it wraps all the way around its head,” said Dr. Duerr.

The five birds have been found in the areas of Marina Del Rey and Ventura Harbor.

“They’re all kind of similar which made me kind of really suspicious that someone was doing this maliciously,” said Dr. Duerr.

She said the precision of the cuts on the birds are another indication someone has been doing this deliberately.