Injured Pelican Rescued In Will County

(The following article was submitted to Patch by Cindy Cain of the Forest Preserve District of Will County.)

CHANNAHON, IL - An injured American white pelican that was tangled in fishing line at McKinley Woods – Kerry Sheridan Grove in Channahon was rescued this week by good Samaritans and Forest Preserve District of Will County staff. The effort led to the bird being transported to the DuPage Forest Preserve District's Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn for an assessment and possible treatment of its injuries, which included a neck laceration. While American white pelicans are not native to Illinois, they spend several weeks in the area each spring and fall as they migrate north and south for summer and winter.

The rescue effort began around 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 20, when Jessica Hansen of Morris arrived at the preserve to take pictures, something she does frequently. Hansen, a self-employed consultant, said during a recent Forest Preserve journaling class she attended, the instructor stressed "really observing your surroundings." That advice helped Hansen notice a bit of “white fluff” by the water’s edge.

The white fluff turned out to be a pelican and, as Hansen began taking photographs of the bird, she quickly realized something was wrong.

“I thought, ‘Why isn’t this bird moving?’ and then I saw he had something tangled around his legs and he was struggling.”

Hansen said a man and a woman walking their dog stopped to help her. The couple went to their Channahon home to get boots, pliers and a blanket. After the bird was covered with the blanket, the man cut away the fishing line, Hansen reported. The couple did not want to be identified, but Hansen called the man an unsung hero for freeing the bird.

Once the bird was released, it paddled away in the water. However, Forest Preserve staff later noticed the bird was not doing well. Wednesday morning, interpretive naturalist Erin Ecker and wildlife biologist Glen Buckner paddled kayaks to the pelican, covered it with a blanket and brought it to shore for transport to the wildlife center.

“You can see where the fishing line had dug into its neck,” Buckner said as he cradled the blanketed pelican in his arms.

Buckner said sometimes people cut their fishing line if it is tangled or if they change lures and they leave the pieces in the water where it can seriously damage wildlife.

“They’ll cut 4 or 5 feet off of it and sometimes a bird will get a little bit of fishing line on it, and then that fishing line gets tangled up with other fishing line and then you’ve got two or three lines on the birds," he explained.

The injured pelican at McKinley Woods is an example of the harm fishing line can cause for many species, according to the Chicago Audubon Society.

The group has tips for preventing these kinds of animal injuries and fatalities:

• Always cut fishing line into pieces less than 6 inches long.
• Dispose of it, along with hooks and tackle, in appropriate covered containers so it does not become a risk to wildlife.
• Volunteer your time to clean up fishing line debris at local ponds, lakes, or beaches.
• Support the use of biodegradable fishing line that does not have an indefinite life span in the environment.

Other dangerous litter includes: kite or balloon string, plastic six-pack rings, soccer goal netting, holiday decorations, netted covers for trees and landscape netting, according to the Audubon Society.

If you'd like to help remove trash from one of the Forest Preserve District of Will County's most popular fishing spots, check out the District's upcoming "Fishing for Trash" program, which will be offered in April, May and June this year at Monee Reservoir in Monee Township. Also, a "River Shoreline Cleanup" program will be offered on April 21 at Rock Run Rookery Preserve in Joliet. All of the program information and volunteer opportunities are on the District's website here.

Main image: A Willowbrook Wildlife Center staff member examines a pelican injured by fishing line at McKinley Woods in Will County. All images via Forest Preserve District of Will County