Pink (foreground) shows off a mended pouch alongside a fellow pelican. Photo by Dave Weeshoff Thanks to the work of our amazing veterinarian and rehabilitation staff, Pink the Pelican’s once-slashed throat pouch is but a distant memory. This adult California Brown Pelican is doing extremely well, and we look forward to releasing Pink soon! Stay … Read more
Photos by Dr. Rebecca Duerr With their fossil record existence dating back at least 30 million years, Brown Pelicans are strong and resilient animals. For proof, look no further than to the story of “Pink.” As you may have read, our Los Angeles center received an adult California Brown Pelican, now nicknamed Pink, in mid-April … Read more
Friends, We appreciate all the support of the community over the past several days regarding the incident at a heron rookery in Oakland, CA, and we understand the outrage that many are feeling. International Bird Rescue (IBR) wants everyone to know that the proprietor of the tree-trimming business has committed to funding the care of … Read more
Photo by Bill Steinkamp As the story of “Pink” the mutilated California Brown Pelican continues to touch animal lovers across the country, an anonymous Southern California donor has doubled the reward money to $20,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the vicious attack on this protected bird. The additional reward money … Read more
Dr. Rebecca Duerr with “Pink” during the animal’s first surgery, photos by Bill Steinkamp. After a week filled with heartbreaking images of our latest animal cruelty patient, we’re pleased to give you some good news today: The adult California Brown Pelican mutilated by an unknown suspect has completed a successful first surgery to repair an … Read more
Dear Friends, “Man, that’s so sad. Good luck, little Pink.” That’s what we overheard a TV news cameraman say on Wednesday while filming a victim of animal cruelty, now recuperating in the aviary at International Bird Rescue’s Los Angeles center. You may have seen stories about this adult Brown Pelican on the news in the … Read more
Update, May 1: An anonymous supporter, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, along with the generous support of individual donors including Lourdes Rivas & Patti Ballaz, have increased the reward to $20,000 for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for this horrific pelican attack. Anyone with information that might lead to the arrest and … Read more
This beautiful Pelagic Cormorant was found with multiple fishing hook injuries. Our friends at California Wildlife Center removed the hooks and transferred the bird to our L.A. center, where it’s recovering from the wounds in an outdoor aviary. Wildlife rehab is all about teamwork! Photo by Kelly Berry.
Photos by Kelly Berry Another victim of fishing gear waste: This Western Grebe was recently found beached and wrapped in monofilament line, which causes countless injuries among aquatic birds every year. We’re currently caring for the grebe at our Los Angeles center. Audubon California describes the problem this way: Monofilament fishing line is an amazingly … Read more
According to last year’s data, about 22% of Brown Pelicans cared for by International Bird Rescue’s rehabilitation staff had confirmed injuries resulting from fishing gear, such as hooks and monofilament line, which can cause fatal constriction wounds. And in 2013, we’ve seen a consistently high number of such injuries. This Brown Pelican was found on November … Read more