Dozens of pelicans released into wild after mysterious sickness
Wildlife caretakers will release a flock of brown pelicans weeks after dozens of them turned up on Southern California coasts. Scientists hope they can track the birds' movements to determine what made them sick in the first place.
To do so, a UC Davis Oiled Wildlife Care Network team spent the morning in Huntington Beach attaching silver ID bands and assigning tracking numbers to 24 pelicans, who were once nearly starving to death.
"We are placing bands on all of the ones that are slated for release so that we're able to figure out how they're able to do in the wild," veterinarian Dr. Elizabeth Wood said. "Do they come right back into care? We'll know who they are."
Three of the largest pelicans are also being outfitted with cutting-edge tracking technology. Solar-powered transmitters snap around the legs and are designed to send data about the birds to sensor stations worldwide. The old transmitter scientists would use had an antenna that was bulky and sat on the pelican's back in a harness. The new ones weight about three ounces, or about as heavy as a pencil.
"The data is very valuable because it does let us know if the birds are thriving when they're out there and where they're going," UC Davis wildlife biologist Kyra Mills said.
Biologists also hope to figure out what led to the flock nearly starving to death.
"There's the oceanographers that are looking to see if there's something going on in the ocean that is going to point us to some answers, but right now, we don't really know," Mills said.
