rockin'robin
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2007
- Messages
- 24,425
- Reaction score
- 551
This has been in the news for a few days....find ir very ironic that, first, it was the birds in Arkansas, then the fish dieing....the the "Orange" alligator in Florida....now the Pelicans in Mayport, Fla., (close to Jacksonville)....wonder what;s really going on?
MAYPORT, Fla. -- Pelicans continue to wash up dead along the St. Johns River and it could be another week before officials know why.
About 20 pelicans were found dead, said Cindy Mosling, the head of the Bird Emergency Aid and Kare Sanctuary, or BEAKS organization.
Something has stripped off the birds' natural oils, which helped them repel water, and caused their feathers to take in moisture. They became too cold and heavy to fly, she said.
"It's vicious," Mosling said. "They starve or freeze to death and they just get weaker and weaker and they die."
BEAKS has taken in almost 30 pelicans weakened by the cold conditions.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission workers were in Mayport again today collecting dead birds to send the FWC lab for testing. According to commission spokeswoman Karen Parker, lab results could take seven to 10 days.
In the meantime, Mosling said she set up tents to house the birds so they could stay warm, and she plans to feed them until she and other volunteers can properly wash their feathers. She hopes testing will reveal what is causing the problem.
"We don't know what's on them. We know they're contaminated, but we don't know by what," said Mosling.
Testing Could Reveal What is Killing Pelicans at Mayport | Firstcoastnews.com | Local News
MAYPORT, Fla. -- Pelicans continue to wash up dead along the St. Johns River and it could be another week before officials know why.
About 20 pelicans were found dead, said Cindy Mosling, the head of the Bird Emergency Aid and Kare Sanctuary, or BEAKS organization.
Something has stripped off the birds' natural oils, which helped them repel water, and caused their feathers to take in moisture. They became too cold and heavy to fly, she said.
"It's vicious," Mosling said. "They starve or freeze to death and they just get weaker and weaker and they die."
BEAKS has taken in almost 30 pelicans weakened by the cold conditions.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission workers were in Mayport again today collecting dead birds to send the FWC lab for testing. According to commission spokeswoman Karen Parker, lab results could take seven to 10 days.
In the meantime, Mosling said she set up tents to house the birds so they could stay warm, and she plans to feed them until she and other volunteers can properly wash their feathers. She hopes testing will reveal what is causing the problem.
"We don't know what's on them. We know they're contaminated, but we don't know by what," said Mosling.
Testing Could Reveal What is Killing Pelicans at Mayport | Firstcoastnews.com | Local News