Sponsor the Brown Pelican

Please help us care for this adult pelican that was found malnourished and dehydrated with frostbite on his feet. Brown pelicans are endangered in Washington state.

Your contribution will pay for food and other supplies that we'll use to care for this stunning bird during his time with us.



This pelican was brought to us on December 2, 2011 from the Gig Harbor area. He was significantly underweight (5 pounds, 11 ounces - he needs to be between 8.8 and 11 pounds to be released.) He's recovering nicely and now eats about three pounds of smelt a day!

Photographs don't do this bird justice. Not only is he taller than your average five year old kid, but when he moves, he unfolds like an oragami crane. His long, tapered orange bill juts forward, picking up his meals of smelt and tossing them into its deep throat pocket (a pocket which would turn vivid red during breeding season.)

The real surprise comes when he unfolds its wings, suddenly filling all the empty space in the room. But the most striking thing about this bird are his eyes, which perch above his long beak with a quiet wariness that's unique to wild animals. Once he's healthy, this pelican will be delighted to leave us and return to the wilds of western Washington.

In the 1950s and 60s, brown pelican populations were decimated in North America because of the pesticide DDT. DDT caused pelicans to lay eggs with overly thin shells - shells that would crumble under the weigh of the parent bird that tried to incubate the eggs. After DDT was banned in 1972, brown pelican populations started to rebound, and in many statesthe bird is no longer endangered. DDT also led to the extinction in some states of peregrine falcons and gravely harmed populations of golden eagles, bald eagles, and white pelicans.

Please help us care for this pelican! By sponsoring the pelican, you’ll help defray the significant costs of care until it can be released to the wild. In return for your sponsorship, we’ll send you a certificate, photo, and history of the pelican’s time with us. A sponsorship is $50, minimum.



Thank you!