Last week I blogged about a seabird rescue operation at the Skyway Pier. Just thought I’d update you on the condition of the injured pelican pictured in that blog post with a rather large hook in its mouth. The video below is what I shot right after we captured the pelican. The bird rescue volunteers were unable to remove the hook in the field. The hook was too large and in a difficult location. So it was taken to a wild bird hospital where the hook was removed.
Pelican Accidentally Hooked by Fisherman from David McRee on Vimeo.
I just got this update from Heather, one of the rescue volunteers :
I wanted to let you know that the one pelican that you pictured with the hook… We had to use BOLT CUTTERS to get that hook out. Lee was able to work the hook through while I held him and one of the men had to cut the hook. I’ll add that he struggled to cut the hook. The Pelican was a grumpy one too. He snapped every time we walked by his crate. He’ll be fine though, on antibiotics for a week and then released.
Thanks for the update Heather. I’m glad this one had a happy ending.
