Fish Emergency at WRC

This showed up on the Minnesota bird listservs from the Minnesota Wildlife Rehabilitation Center:

We'd like to extend a huge thank-you to Kent and Susan Brunell who have spent the past two days rescuing pelicans off Pelican Lake. So far, they've brought us seven live birds and two dead birds, which we've sent out for testing. There are an additional 7-12 birds left on the ice who may be joining their friends here at WRC in the next few days.

A couple birds have fractures in their wings, all are thin or emaciated. We'll be providing care for the birds for quite a while, and then we'll need to fly the surviving birds to the Texas or Florida coast to join up with other migratory pelicans. We're in desperate need of fish, live preferably, and are working with zoos across the nation to determine the best source since we'll be purchasing large amounts. One pelican eats 1-2 pounds of fish per day in captivity!

We're looking at a cost of care of hundreds of dollars each day for these birds. If you can assist us by contributing toward their care or if you have a bait shop contact that you'd be willing to share with us (who may be willing to donate or sell us fish at a reduced cost) we'd certainly appreciate hearing from you. We are a registered 501(c)3 and donations of fish or money are tax-deductible.

There are photos on the home page of our Web site, too, if you'd like to take a look.

Thanks again to Kent and Susan, and everyone else who cares so much for our Minnesota wildlife.

*Birdchick Note: These guys eat 1 - 3 pounds of fish a day per bird, so anything you can give the WRC --even just five dollars, really will help. It's tax deductible too.