UPDATE - White American Pelican - And a Brown Pelican makes a pair!

Update April 12

The American White Pelican rescued in from Île Des Chênes, Manitoba finally gets a chance to share her enclosure with another pelican! On March 27, a male Brown Pelican was rescued in Prince Rupert, BC. Since pelicans are flock birds, they can get depressed when kept alone in captivity. Such was the case for the White Pelican spending the winter and spring at Wild ARC. Although unlikely, staff thought another pelican would be the best cure, however no rehabilitator ever wishes for another patient to be in need.

To our surprise in late March, a Brown Pelican was found by a member of the public while being attacked by crows at Port Edward. Although Brown Pelicans are not very common in BC, their range is expanding northward in the past few years. For unknown reasons, the bird was weak and the finder was able to capture the pelican and transport him directly to the Prince Rupert Wildlife Rehab Shelter, a local wildlife rehabilitation centre. Since this centre does not have the facility to house a pelican, Wild ARC was contacted in hopes that the bird could be transferred. On April 2, the pelican was flown to Vancouver and picked up by Wild ARC staff for his trip to Metchosin.

For the first week, the Brown Pelican was kept in isolation to prevent any disease transmission and regain his strength. He was then transferred into the facility’s largest flight pen, where the White Pelican is currently housed, and the introduction was successful! They got along right away with no signs of aggression. The White Pelican appears to be a bit more comfortable and active now that she has a companion.

Both pelicans will be transferred to the facility’s largest pool pen in the next couple of weeks so that they can swim and behave as pelicans do. The American White Pelican is scheduled to be flown back to Manitoba in early May. She will be released back to her colony on Shoal Lake, where she will eat and possibly mate during the summer months before getting ready to migrate in the fall. As for the Brown Pelican, if all goes well, he will be released on the west coast of Vancouver Island around the same time as the American White Pelican leaves. 

Together, the cost of their medical care, husbandry, food and facility use (water, heat) is $200 a day. You can make a difference by helping these special patients – make a donation towards their care today.

And a big thanks to Bluewater Bait Company for donating hundreds of pounds of fish to feed these big eaters!

ORIGINAL STORY - February 13
A true "snowbird" - a White Pelican arrives for a deluxe winter stay

Wild ARC welcomed an unusual patient on January 16, an American White Pelican arrived via a cargo plane from Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Center (WHRC) in Manitoba. In mid-November, the pelican was found with five others in Shoal Lake, about 40 kilometers south of Riding Mountain National Park. Knowing that they should have migrated to the Gulf of Mexico, the finder immediately captured all six birds and transported them in his cattle trailer for the hour and a half trip to WHRC. After assessment, five of the six birds had severe wing injuries and suffered from frostbite – only one female pelican was fit for rehabilitation.

After heroic efforts to get the pelican to eat - as she was in very poor condition when rescued - WBRC staff began looking for another facility that could house the pelican for the winter. As the beautiful, but very large and sick bird would have to be in care until she could be released during spring migration, and WBRC did not have a large pool. WBRC contacted Wild ARC in November 2011 and conveniently we had just completed the first phase of a new aquatic facility with a large deep pool, perfect for a pelican. After several weeks of import and export permits being approved by respective governments, a plan for transport was in motion.

The pelican arrived by air on January 16 on a discounted flight paid for by WHRC. It was a bumpy start - on arrival, her feathers were soiled with fish oil from her food that she could not rinse off since she did not have access to water. She had stopped eating a week prior to her arrival, and was regurgitating food that was syringe fed to her. Her physical condition and her spirit were deteriorating every day. Wild ARC staff worked diligently to understand the source of her health issues. Not knowing the reasons why she was unable to migrate and why she was so underweight, it was important to do some medical diagnostic tests. 

To address her emotional state, she was in a room with multiple mirrors (so she saw another pelican as a companion) and natural vegetation, and sounds of nature were constantly playing to decrease stress. After several days of treatment, she started showing gradual improvements.  Wild ARC staff were able to syringe feed her a “fish shake” to meet her nutritional needs, up to 7 times a day.

On February 6, “Pelly” as staff call her, finally started eating on her own. She was stable enough to withstand a specialized bath and once done, her feathers was impeccable - she was pure white once again. She made her first dive into Wild ARC’s new large aquatic pool on February 7.

The cost of Pelly’s medical care, husbandry, food and facility use (water, heat) is $100 a day. You can make a difference by helping this special patient – make a donation towards her care today.

The BC SPCA is a non-profit organization funded primarily by public donations. Our mission is to prevent cruelty and to promote the welfare of animals through a wide range of services, including cruelty investigations, emergency rescue and treatment, sheltering and adoption of homeless and abused animals, humane education, advocacy, farm animal welfare, spay/neuter programs, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.