A wayward pelican that landed on the field during Saturday’s San Francisco Giants game instantly became a fan favorite, but wildlife experts say the surprise visit is a sign of a big problem with the state’s brown pelicans.
Wildlife experts at Fairfield’s International Bird Rescue have been working around the clock to care for dozens of weak, cold and starving pelicans. The birds have been pouring into the center over the last several weeks at an alarming rate.
"Most of the birds, when they come in, they are emaciated, they’re anemic, they are 50 or 60% of their normal body weight," International Bird Rescue Veterinarian Rebecca Duerr said. "They are extremely, extremely skinny and emaciated birds."
When the pelican landed in left field during the Giants game on Saturday, wildlife experts recognized right away why it happened.
"The bird obviously was skinny to us and disoriented, but made a big splash with the Giants because it was a game that they came back from and won against the Cincinnati Reds," Russ Curtis with International Bird Rescue said.
Another pelican sighting near the ballpark Monday night got fans fired up again, with some nicknaming it the "rally pelican." Wildlife experts are using the exposure to educate the public about the pelicans' plight.
"Pelicans do not like garlic fries as far as I know," Curtis said. "They like fish, so we’re focusing on educating the public and also trying to understand how folks can help us spread the word and also help pay for the fish."
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The hungry pelicans are consuming more than 500 pounds of fish a day. The center spent more than $20,000 on food alone last week. Then there’s the cost of hand feeding the pelicans vitamins and supplements.
While wildlife experts are still trying to figure out what’s behind the wave of starving animals, they are hoping the recent pelican publicity will spur fans to pitch in to help.
"If every fan just gave 10 bucks to that 'rally pelican,' I’m hoping that not only would it help us, but it would bring great luck to the San Francisco Giants," Curtis said.
