CBS 13 Reports on Animal Cruelty Case at International Bird Rescue

CBS 13 Sacramento’s Nick Janes reports on a recent animal cruelty case involving a juvenile Brown Pelican with its wings extensively clipped by unknown perpetrators. Unable to fly, and therefore to hunt, the bird would not have survived in the wild. Watch the full segment here.

The bird was originally brought to Los Coches Veterinary Hospital in Soledad, Calif. with all of its primary and secondary feathers on both wings clipped. Now at International Bird Rescue’s Bay Area wildlife care center, the bird has been stabilized and rehabilitation staff have begun plucking the clipped feathers under anesthesia to encourage new feather growth.

Anyone with information on the perpetrator or perpetrators behind this animal cruelty case should call US Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement Offices in Burlingame, Calif. at 650.876.9078. The abuse of this animal is a federal offense, as Brown Pelicans are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.