Aquarium Of The Pacific Helps Keep Tern Chicks From Drowning, Seeks Donations
LONG BEACH (CBSLA) — Wildlife rescuers are working to save baby birds from drowning in Long Beach Harbor, officials at the Aquarium of the Pacific announced Monday.
The Aquarium of the Pacific has been assisting with recent efforts to rescue elegant tern chicks in the Long Beach Harbor. The birds have formed a colony on two barges in the harbor, and unfortunately, chicks have been falling into the water. pic.twitter.com/BgMGsafRcQ
— Aquarium of the Pacific (@AquariumPacific) July 19, 2021
According to the aquarium, a colony of Elegant Terns lives on two barges in the harbor and chicks keep falling into the water.
The chicks then drown they are pulled from the sea. To date, over 460 chicks have been rescued from the water.
"Staff members from the aquarium have been going out on their boat daily to retrieve chicks from the water," aquarium officials said.
Aquarium staff is picking up an average of about 35 chicks each day.
Once the birds are on the boat, they are transported to the clinic at International Bird Rescue in San Pedro, where they are hand-fed and rehabilitated before they can be released back into the wild.
The public is being asked to contribute donations to help feed and house the chicks by visiting birdrescue.org/help-terns.