Busch Wildlife Sanctuary will host a public wildlife release event at Carlin Park at the The Jupiter Civic Center on June 11 at 9 a.m.
After more than 250 days in rehabilitation, a brown pelican (Patient 25-4292) that arrived at Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in September 2025 is finally ready to return to the wild. The bird was admitted in severely underweight condition and had extensive feather damage that prevented it from flying properly.
Once the pelican recovered from starvation and other medical issues, the Busch Wildlife veterinary team determined that its damaged feathers were not being replaced naturally. To encourage healthy feathers to grow, veterinarians carefully removed the damaged ones while the bird was under anesthesia. Because brown pelicans replace their feathers every three to five years, the recovery process required months of specialized care and patience…