SAN DIEGO [KGTV] — There's been an increase in sick and injured brown pelicans along our coast.
SeaWorld says more and more birds are having to be rescued and treated for starvation and dehydration.
"We have lots of animals in-house right now. We're responding to calls constantly," Jeni Smith.
Smith is the Rescue Program Curator at SeaWorld San Diego.
Thursday, she showed ABC 10News around their bird rescue facility.
"All of these birds are coming in. They're hungry. They are skinny," she said.
As of Thursday afternoon, ten brown pelicans were being treated for starvation, dehydration, and/or injury.
"[Pelicans] ingesting fishing hooks, fishing lines, and that might be because they are looking for food," Smith said.
About two weeks ago, Smith started noticing an uptick in calls to their rescue hotline about pelicans looking or acting unusual.
"The fact that they're walking up to people probably looking for food, that's not normal behavior for a pelican," she said.
Pelicans are typically shy toward humans.
Smith said the birds are first quarantined and tested for the bird flu. Then, they're moved to this aviary habitat and given fluids.
"Every couple of hours, they're fed, and then at a certain point, we will start offering fish, and they can eat fish throughout the day," she said.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said it does not know exactly why the pelicans cannot find food, but a similar situation happened in 2022.
The department said in both cases, rough weather conditions created choppy waters, possibly making it more difficult for pelicans to reach the fish.
Since last month, SeaWorld has cared for 22 pelicans.
Unfortunately, some were too debilitated to save, but others have been released back into their habitats.
"We're constantly observing the animal and changing their plan based on how they're doing," Smith said.
People should call the rescue hotline at 800-541-7325 or email SWC.Rescue@seaworld.com if they suspect a pelican may be hurt or ill.
Smith asks people to provide details, including the locations, if it's safe to rescue the animal and photos.
