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Feeding
pelicans at pools in San Pedro
center (IBRRC photo) |
Adopters
appreciation party story & photos
Brown
pelicans are experiencing another
summer of hardship. The past few
years have been particularly hard
for this endangered species and
IBRRC has released hundreds of pelicans
who were victims of fishing line/hook
injuries, domoic acid poisoning,
or botulism. Each summer we also
provide R&R for juvenile pelicans,
either because they couldn’t find
enough fish to eat, or their fishing
skills aren’t yet perfected.
Adopt
a pelican now
Mass starvation July
2004
This year, a mass starvation
is taking place, and hundreds of
pelicans need help, or they will
die. Why the pelicans are starving
remains a mystery, but obviously,
they can’t find enough food.
We know from past experience that
pelicans respond extremely well
to rehabilitation. However, it is
expensive to care for them.
Adopt a pelican and
give it a second chance at life
We have decided to institute
an exciting new program that allows
you to “adopt” an individual
pelican. From decades of experience,
we know that each bird we save cost’s
approximately $200 to rehabilitate.
Because pelicans are large, they
require more medicine than a small
shorebird would for example. And,
they eat about 10 pounds of fish
a day. We do blood work on all of
the birds we treat, and some require
x-rays and/or surgery. We also house
the pelicans in 80-foot long flight
cages with pools which require a
constant supply of clean water,
so the bird’s feathers are
not compromised by fish oil contamination.
Filters run constantly and the pools
are vacuumed out several times a
day. It is an expensive operation.
How do we pay for this? Entirely
from donations.
How is your pelican
different from another pelican?
One of the most important, and
least invasive areas of research
we do is post-release monitoring.
Before release, every bird receives
a numbered stainless steel US Fish
and Wildlife leg band. If a bird
is ever found, or sighted, we receive
that information. We are one of
only a few bird rehabilitation organizations
in the United States that does this.
Since 1972 IBRRC has
banded over 50,000 birds and received
great amount of data. We believe
that not using this simple method
of potential data collection would
make us irresponsible to the field
of wildlife rehabilitation. It is
the only way in which we gain any
information on how animals are doing
after release. It gives the birds
a lifetime identity, and we have
amazing stories about birds we have
banded.
Adoption for life
We’d like to share
the excitement of adopting an individual
endangered brown pelican with you.
When you adopt a pelican at the
$200 level, it will be for life.
You will receive a certificate with
a pelican photo, band number and
information on the bird that we
have chosen for you to sponsor.
You’ll know why and where
your bird was rescued from, and
when and where it was released.
Every time you look
up in the sky at a flock of pelicans,
you’ll be wondering if your
pelican is up there! We will inform
you if we have any information about
your bird's whereabouts in the future.
If the bird should ever come back
to us, for any reason, as it’s
sponsor, you will be told and have
the opportunity to continue to help
it.
Share the excitement
Adopting a pelican is
a wonderful way to give a gift of
life to a pelican lover. Please
let us know if you would like to
gift your pelican to someone else.
Some great ideas are as a wedding
present (for the couple who has
everything), in memorial, as a birthday
or anniversary present, or the birth
of a baby.
Just click on the button
below and we’ll save a pelican
in your name or someone else’s.
With each pelican, you will automatically
become a member
of IBRRC.
or
Download
an Adoption form 
(PDF 125 kb)
Send a $200 check to:
IBRRC
c/o Adopt a Pelican
4369 Cordelia Road
Fairfield, CA 94534
Need more info?
E-mail
Karen Benzel (karen@ibrrc.org)
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