MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Local 10 was on Miami Beach Tuesday when a rehabilitated pelican was released back into the wild by a local nonprofit rescue group.
Local 10 animal advocate Jacey Birch first brought you this story exclusively in September when the pelican was rescued at Haulover Beach.
On Tuesday, the pelican took his time as he slowly walked out of his kennel and slowly opened up his wings. It seemed as if he was savoring the wind flowing through his feathers.
The young pelican is now outside an enclosure and free to fly for the very first time in two months!
In early September, Local 10 was there on Haulover Beach, right at the inlet, when the juvenile pelican was hanging helpless in a huge tree. He was entangled in fishing line with a big fish hook with the lure stuck in his wing.
“A portion of his upper wing was missing. He had like a chunk of his wing missing, so he had to be treated for that because, of course, when a pelican is hurt on the wing, he cannot fly properly,” Marianna Niero, of Pelican Harbor Seabird Station, said.
The bird had a large wound and needed emergency surgery.
Thankfully, the scar tissue healed well. But the pelican had to heal slowly and learn to fly again.
“Pelican Harbor Seabird Station -- our mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and release injured native wildlife in Miami,” Niero said.
The nonprofit has helped more than 2,000 animals and has 64 currently in their care. The pelican released Tuesday was the 64th brown pelican that has been rehabilitated this year.
“It’s amazing! It’s an amazing feeling every time because you know we care for these animals,” Niero said. “We care for the wildlife here in Miami, so knowing we were able to help one of those, especially a young one -- this was a juvenile -- makes us feel really good and rewarded for our work.”
“He was moved outside in one of our outside pens, where birds go for the pre-release to get used to being outside again and we monitor him for his flight,” Niero added. “It took a while for him to fly well again, but he finally did.”
An invested crowd cheered on Miami-Dade Fire Rescue for saving the bird’s life in September, but Tuesday’s release into the wild was quiet and beautiful, with the pelican back to the beach, the ocean, the sand and the skies where he belongs.
