Local
Sick pelicans found along California coast a mystery
Associated Press
January 8, 2009
Sick brown pelicans, some of them dead, have been spotted from San Francisco to Mexico, baffling wildlife experts.
The pelicans started appearing late last month in Southern California, then further north, said Jay Holcomb, executive director of the International Bird Rescue Research Center in Fairfield. The center’s San Pedro facility received more than 40 birds in the past 10 days, while the Fairfield one has received about 25, Holcomb said.
A man vacationing in Baja California alerted the center this week after discovering sick pelicans on the beach. Rescuers have sent blood samples and carcasses to state and federal wildlife authorities and labs.
