Injured Pelican Rescued In O.C. Up For 'Bird Of Year'

NEWPORT BEACH, CA – With the kindness of strangers, police and animal-rescue advocates, an American White Pelican, found last month in Orange County with a broken bill, lacerations on its neck and foot and a fishhook wound, was rescued, is on the mend and now is nominated for "2017 Bird of the Year."

The injured bird first was spotted at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine, but evaded capture, according to the Newport Beach Police Department.

A few days later, a resident in the Port Streets called police to report that an injured pelican was in her driveway. An animal control officer arrived, caught the critter and transported it to Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach for immediate care, and then coordinated a transfer to the International Bird Rescue - L.A. Wildlife Center, police said.

International Bird Rescue, an organization which cares for sick, injured, abused and orphaned seabirds at two year-round wildlife centers in California - the one in Los Angeles and the other in the San Francisco Bay Area -- has six birds, including the pelican, in the running for the grand title.

"We'd like to thank everyone who chipped in to help this bird, from the folks in Irvine to the staff at WWCC and the vet at International Bird Rescue," police said. "We're also grateful to our Port Street residents, who called to alert us about the bird in the first place and stuck around to see him successfully captured and on his way to get the help he needs."

Cast your "Bird of the Year" vote online by Dec. 31 at this link. The winner will be announced in early January.

Read more about the pelican-save here.

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--Images courtesy of Newport Beach Police Department