Brown pelicans were affected the most of all birds by the recent Gulf disaster and are dying daily. According to National Wildlife Federation "The Brown Pelican comprises 58% of all dead or injured bird species collected in response to the BP oil spill."
Rescue centers have to help many other species and they have a very limited resources. Therefore, as long as brown pelicans are not back on the endangered species list, there wouldn't be much that rescue centers could do for them. They need financial support from the state and Federal Authorities and they won't get it if brown pelicans are not on the endangered species list again. Please, ask Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to put brown pelican back on the endangered species list!
"The government counts only oiled birds collected for rehabilitation or found dead, for use as evidence in the spill investigation. Oiled birds in the many nesting areas that dot the Gulf coast typically are left in place and not counted in official tallies."
"This is not like Exxon Valdez where you had tens of thousands of birds killed all at once," said Ken Rosenberg, director of conservation science at the Cornell laboratory. "It's more insidious because it is literally happening in waves and it's happening over and over again as the birds are moving around." What's worse, pelicans are dying on the West Coast too:
Officials say they are running out of room to help all the sick or dying California brown pelicans on the Southern and Central California coastline. Paul Kelway of the International Bird Rescue Research Center says more than 500 birds have arrived at four wildlife centers in the last month, leaving them on the brink of closure as they run out of space and money.
There is only one way we can save brown pelicans - if we put them back on the endangered species list!
http://animals.change.org/petitions/view/please_help_us_to_save_our_pelicans
