Months after a mass stranding of sick and starving brown pelicans overwhelmed wildlife centers across Southern California, the final survivors of this spring’s domoic acid toxicity event are ready to return to the wild.
The Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach announced it will release the last four rehabilitated pelicans Friday morning on the shoreline of Huntington State Beach, directly across Pacific Coast Highway from the nonprofit’s facility. Staff will begin preparing the birds at 7 a.m., with the release set for 8 a.m.; the public is invited to attend.
The birds are the last of hundreds rescued earlier this year when a domoic acid spike — triggered by a toxic algal bloom — caused widespread neurological illness and starvation in pelicans and other marine animals along the coast. WWCC and partner wildlife hospitals spent months treating the influx, which pushed many centers to capacity…