Rehabilitated pelicans released after weeks of care

Some of the hundreds of Brown pelicans found starving along the coast have been successfully treated and released. Brown pelicans in the aviary at the Fairfield, Calif., wildlife center in an undated photo. The center has been rehabilitating hundreds of starving pelicans since mid-April 2024. (Angie Trumbo/International Bird Rescue via Bay City News)

A group of rehabilitated brown pelicans was released Thursday near the base of the Golden Gate Bridge at Fort Baker in Sausalito following weeks of care at International Bird Rescue, a global conservation organization where nearly 340 emaciated and injured pelicans from the greater Bay Area were admitted.

Hundreds of these starving pelicans were found in April, with most of the birds coming from the Monterey and Santa Cruz areas. Finding birds in unusual locations may often mean that they are need of help.

One bird was seen trying to enter a Santa Cruz bar, another was found on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport and perhaps the most notable appearance was when a brown pelican landed in left field during the middle of a San Francisco Giants-Cincinnati Reds baseball game on May 11, according to International Bird Rescue.

"With these releases, we're sending them home to the ocean healthy and in great condition to fly wherever they need to go," said Rebecca Duerr, the organization's director of research and veterinary science.

No conclusive proof on what is causing this crisis has been determined. An investigation is ongoing with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

International Bird Rescue is encouraging the public to donate toward the extensive cost of care, medication and feeding for the pelicans at www.birdrescue.org/savepelicans.

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