The results are in. It was a tight race, but a victor has emerged!
The 2019 Patient of the Year is the Brown Pelican with the severe pouch laceration. It clearly made the biggest impact on our Bird Rescue family this year, winning 30% of the overall public vote.
“…The bird’s pouch was laid open on both sides
up and back onto her neck, completely cut loose
from the rest of her mouth. Although she
survived the initial injury, she was starving to death
because she was unable to eat…”
–Blog post Oct 2019
This pelican is not only a prime example of the impacts humans can have on wildlife, but also the remarkable resiliency of these majestic creatures. It also shows that the best efforts by concerned individuals can give a gravely injured bird a second chance at life.
Thank you to all of you who voted, to the skilled staff and volunteers whose attentive care got this pelican (blue-banded Y41) through to release, and to the generous donors without whom this work would not be possible.
This patient was just one of more than 3,500 birds we helped this year! If this story inspires you to take action, and help other birds get a second chance, please join us: Make a donation to International Bird Rescue today to help us continue to rescue waterbirds in crisis and create more success stories like this one!
