Healthy Pelican Flies Free After Being Injured

Occurred on May 24, 2018 / Hutchinson Island Causeway, Fort Pierce Florida, USA

Info from Licensor: "We rescued this upset pelican who was trying to flee, but because there was a large lure that was hooked through its chest and the other end through it's right foot, it was relatively easy to catch. That coupled with the bird having just caught a catfish which was lodged in its gullet sideways thus restricting it's movements even further. Dr. Laurie Aleixo cut the barbs off the hooks that were penetrating the birds chest and foot. Backed the hooks out and quickly assessed the severity of the wounds and determined that they were not life threatening. The quicker we could return the pelican back to it's environment, the less stress the pelican will have to endure and the more likely it will make a quick recovery.
The whole process from capture to release was less than 30 minutes. In the end the pelican flew off but stayed in the area to feast on the discarded remains of local fisherman's catch after cleaning them."