Local wildlife hospitals are urgently seeking the public’s help after an alarming increase in pelicans arriving with severe injuries, specifically broken wings. This troubling trend has prompted a $10,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of those responsible for harming these endangered birds.
Pelicans, a vital part of Florida’s ecosystem, are suffering horrific injuries, and wildlife agencies are working diligently to stop whoever is behind these acts of cruelty. Experts have warned that these injuries, some of which are graphic in nature, are deliberate and must be addressed to prevent further harm to the species.
“In January we had a suspicious influx of pelicans and veterinary forensic biologists were brought in to investigate and determined it was human caused because of the way the wings were broken, the consistency of the injuries between all of the deceased pelicans, and the lack of any other signs of trauma other than the wing break. They examined pelicans not only from our facility, but other locations as well. There is also a correlation between the timing of boats being offshore and pelicans with suspicious wing breaks going back a decade,” said the Florida Wildlife Hospital in a comment on Instagram.