Pledges from an animal rights group and a local restaurant brought
the reward to $10,000 for information that leads to the prosecution
of someone mutilating local pelicans.
An endangered brown pelican found in Huntington Beach two weeks
ago is recovering from surgery to repair its pouch, said Sharon
Weeks, a volunteer at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in
Huntington Beach. Its pouch was slit almost entirely away from its
beak in what officials believe was a deliberate act.
Another pelican with similar injuries that was found a week
earlier in Newport Beach died of its ordeal.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the Humane Society of
the United States, Rusty Pelican Restaurant and private donors have
pledged reward money in the case.
Donations for the care of the injured pelican can be sent to the
Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center at 21900 Pacific Coast Highway,
Huntington Beach, CA 92646. Go to http://www.wwccoc.org for more
information.
