Officials say California brown pelicans taking beating from incessant rains, runoff

California brown pelicans battered by rain, runoff

LOS ANGELES — Wildlife officials have collected nearly 70 California brown pelicans that have been battered by rains and runoff and are gearing up to help for dozens more.

Most of the birds are suffering from hypothermia. Their feathers normally form a natural barrier to the water and act as insulation from the cold but instead are matted by oil, grease and other gunk from massive runoff, much of it from roads and freeways.

Unable to get dry or warm, the birds’ immune systems started failing, said Paul Kelway, spokesman for the International Bird Rescue Research Center in San Pedro, 25 miles south of downtown Los Angeles.

The center is treating 33 pelicans and Santa Barbara County authorities are bringing in 36, he said. Crews have also been sent to Santa Monica amid reports that dozens of the birds are in trouble.

“We’ll feed them and warm them up and when they are strong enough, we’ll wash them and get them ready to be released,” he said. “We wash them just as if there had been an oil spill. We use dishwashing liquid. Their ability to heal is incredible.”

The process cand take five to seven days per bird, he said, although they won’t be released back in the rain, and the forecast for early next week calls for more.

Storms that started Monday have already dropped up to 8 inches of rain in Los Angeles County, the National Weather Service reported.

The long-beaked pelicans weigh 8 to 10 pounds, stand about 4 feet tall and have a 6- to 7-foot wingspan. They are a symbol of the Pacific Coast, and were recently removed from California’s endangered species list, Kelway said.

Treatment costs about $500 a bird, Kelway said.

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