Southern California

$5,000 Reward in “Tragic” Redondo Beach Pelican Shooting

An anonymous donor is offering the reward through the International Bird Rescue.

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for shooting and wounding a brown pelican on a Southern California beach.

The adult male pelican, that was unable to fly, was captured by Redondo Beach Animal Control on March 12.

The bird was found with a broken wing and a fish hook embedded in its right shoulder, according to the International Bird Rescue.

X-rays of the wound showed bullet fragments, rescuers said.

"It's pretty rare that we see a non-hunted bird that comes in with a gunshot wound," said Kelly Berry, of the International Bird Rescue. "It's a tragic thing."

The bird underwent surgery and is recovering well, but veterinarians worry about the risk from infection.

After the bird undergoes physical therapy, wildlife workers say it will be released into the wild.

Berry said the birds try to pick off food from fishermen at sea, exposing themselves to human contact.

Brown pelicans are a federally protected bird species under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The seabirds were classified as federally endangered in the 1970s, but were delisted as a federally listed species in 2009, according to the National Park Service.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the US Fish and Wildlife Service at 310-328-1516.

Those who wish to donate to the IBR can click here.

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