Patient number 24-4881 is a juvenile brown pelican who was seen alone in a pond. It stayed in the pond all night and refused to fly when approached. On examination, our hospital team noted that the pelican had a gouge in its lower jaw and two small bleeding wounds on its left wing, which was drooping slightly. Our staff suspects the brown pelican had been injured by a fishhook.

Our hospital team cleaned and bandaged the wounds and began treatment with pain medicine. The pelican is receiving daily bandage changes with silver gel/silver honey ointment to reduce the risk of infection. So far, the pelican’s wound is healing well, and it is getting tub time and morning recess.

Brown pelicans are the smallest of the pelican species. They can eat up to 4 pounds of fish, invertebrates, and sea crustaceans per day. Commercial fishing negatively impacts pelicans by reducing their food sources. Numerous pelican deaths are also caused by fishing equipment such as fishhooks, lines, and netting. Large fishing operations account for hundreds of pelican deaths because of entanglement and fishing instruments left behind. The brown pelican is currently under protection by the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

If you go fishing, never cast your line toward a bird, as they may mistake your bait for food and bite the hook. Never feed birds fish or bait; it will attract them to fishing areas. Always throw away fishing lines and gear in appropriate receptacles to avoid causing harm to wildlife and others enjoying nature.

CROW Case of the Week stories are written and edited by Laura Lloyd. These stories appear weekly in Santiva Chronicle.