CASTLE HAYNE, N.C. (WECT) – Skywatch Bird Rescue has received its first Brown Pelicans of the season with injuries that wildlife authorities say indicate intentional harm by humans.
The rescue organization said the injuries follow a pattern documented for more than 10 years, which correlates with the presence of commercial trawling ships in coastal waters.
Coastal bird rescues across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia have seasonally received pelicans with suspicious injuries when commercial fishing vessels are in local waters, according to Skywatch Bird Rescue.
The organization said pelicans wash up dead or injured on beaches with injuries indicating intentional harm, and the casualties follow the ships’ movements.
Skywatch Bird Rescue has received its first Brown Pelicans of the season with injuries that wildlife authorities say indicate intentional harm by humans.(Skywatch Bird Rescue)
Wildlife authorities and a state veterinarian have investigated the cases, and Skywatch believes a specific ship is harming pelicans that land on the boat looking for fish.
“This person(s) grabs the pelican by the wing and swings it repeatedly in a circular motion that breaks the wing, twisting it round and round. Pelicans are then thrown back into the ocean, left injured to suffer slowly until they die,” the rescue organization said in a Facebook post.
These occurrences happen only where and when the ships are present, not year-round, according to Skywatch.
“We are not saying all commercial fishermen are bad—we have many fisherman friends—but this issue isn’t something to be ignored so that no one gets offended,” said the rescue organization. “This bad apple is a bad representation of the industry and needs to be removed.”
Skywatch says the pelicans that arrive at rescue facilities must be euthanized because the wing damage is too extensive for survival.
Assaulting a bird is a federal offense with fines as high as $250,000 per bird. Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.
Anyone with information can contact the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission at 1-800-662-7137 or the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at 1-844-FWS-TIPS (1-844-397-8477).
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