Jun 24, 2008 9:01 pm US/Eastern
Injured Pelican Moved To New Home In Miami
Pelican Harbor Seabird Station on the 79th Street Causeway
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ―
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Pelican On The Mend After Being Cared For By Wildlife Care Center in Broward
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Recuperating in captivity during the month of May.
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Firefighters with the Hollywood Fire Department work with a bucket truck to rescue a pelican that had been trapped in a tree by a piece of fishing line.
CBS
It was moving day for a pelican that was rescued after dangling from a tree in a state park in Hollywood last month, and a step closer to being set free in the wild.
After more than a month of rehab at the Wildlife Care Center in Ft. Lauderdale, the pelican was taken to the Pelican Harbor Seabird Station on the 79th Street Causeway on Tuesday where it was given a soft release; the bird's cage was opened so it can return to a place of safety and acclimate before being set free in the wild.
Doctors say the bird's recovery is a true animal survival story. When found dangling from a tree top in John U. Lloyd State Park, the pelican had a fishing hook imbedded in its right wing. The hook was tied to a line that had gotten tangled in a tree's upper branches. Wildlife officials said the bird had become stuck and hung upside down from the tree for several days until it was rescued. A wildlife vet said when the bird was brought to him it was badly dehydrated, stressed and in pain.
"I didn't think she would survive," said Dr. Stephan Harsch, "when I saw that I didn't have a lot of hopes, but amazingly there was nothing major really wrong."
Miraculously, X-rays showed no severe damage to her wing.
After a week of recovering at the wildlife center, the pelican was alert, walking, eating and sporting a bright, colorful bandage on her wing.
The pelican was later moved to the Wildlife Center's Pelican Pool where doctors accessed her ability to fly and determined that, when fully recovered, she could be released back into the wild.
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