Similar injuries to birds have been reported along the California coastline from Ventura to Dana Point over the past five years but no arrests have been made.
California brown pelican “Blue” on March 20, 2024, at International Bird Rescue in San Pedro. Two surgeries were required to repair the pelican’s slashed pouch. Pelican nicknamed “Blue” in enclosure on March 12, 2024, one day after the first surgery at International Bird Rescue in San Pedro.
International Bird Rescue Veterinarian Rebecca Duerr repairing the pouch on “Blue,” a California brown pelican brought into the San Pedro center over the weekend. L-R Kylie Clatterbuck, Wildlife Center Manager, and Jennifer Martines, Wildlife Rehabilitation Technician, examine an adult female Brown Pelican whose pouch was slashed from the jaw line all the way to the tip in a linear fashion. The cut leads staff to believe it was done by a human using a knife, machete or other sharp object.
L-R Kylie Clatterbuck, Wildlife Center Manager, and Jennifer Martines, Wildlife Rehabilitation Technician, examine an adult female Brown Pelican whose pouch was slashed from the jaw line all the way to the tip in a linear fashion. The cut leads staff to believe it was done by a human using a knife, machete or other sharp object.
As of Thursday, March 21, the pelican — nicknamed “Blue” by the rescue center — was eating “with bravado, having gained 800 grams since coming into care at the Los Angeles wildlife care center,” according to a written release. Similar injuries, Foy said, have been reported along the California coastline from Ventura to Dana Point over the past five years but no arrests have been made in those cases. Foy couldn’t be reached for additional comments Thursday, May 21, but a bird center contact, noting they had not received an update, noted that the state agency typically doesn’t release information until an investigation is concluded.