Wildlife shelter offering reward money for info on dead and injured pelicans
OAK ISLAND, NC (WWAY) — A Brunswick County animal shelter is offering reward money over a rash of dead and injured pelicans.
Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who may be responsible for injuring and/or killing pelicans.
Mary Ellen Rogers is the owner of the shelter. She says several injured or dead pelicans have been washing up along Oak Island beaches over the past couple of weeks, and this has happened before.
Rogers says they seem to see the spikes around the time there is an increase in fishing boats in the area, and worried the birds are being injured by fishermen, who probably consider the pelicans a nuisance.
She says the shelter had the same problem last February and in previous years. Rogers says all the birds have or had the same injury in the same area, on one or both wings. That type of injury is usually a death sentence for a pelican, she adds.
Rogers met with Oak Island Police Department on November 14th to discuss the issue. Anyone who sees something suspicious is asked to call N.C. Wildlife at 800-662-7137 or dial 911.
