Category

Brown Pelican

The brown pelican, once seen in the thousands on the Texas coast, nearly disappeared due to the millinery trade, fishing conflicts, and DDT contamination, with only 2 nests reported in 1968. However, the banning of DDT and the protection of numerous rookery sites has led to the bird’s delisting in 2009, and its impressive rebound.

Interviews

Narrator: Rhonda MurgatroydTitle: A Soul?Duration: 00:01:09Date: December 7, 2023Rhonda Murgatroyd is a wildlife rehabilitator, working on oil spills and other accidents as the owner and managing director of Wildlife Response Services. Here she she explains how she regards the animals that she cares for.Narrator: Rhonda MurgatroydTitle: Pink Leg BandsDuration: 00:01:40Date: December 7, 2023A wildlife rehabilitator by profession and passion, Rhonda Murgatroyd is sometimes asked whether her work at oil spills and other incidents is worthwhile. Here she tells the reassuring story of the successful nesting and breeding of a brown pelican following her recovery efforts.Narrator: Sharon SchmalzTitle: Hooks and LinesDuration: 00:01:24Date: January 11, 2024Sharon Schmalz is the founder of the Wildlife Center of Texas. In the course of her work, she has worked on rehabilitating 1000 of creatures, including over 385 species of sick, injured and abandoned animals. Here she recalls an incident in 2014, when over 100 young brown pelicans were brought in from Galveston Bay, where they had ingested hooks, lures and fishing lines. Narrator: John YoungTitle: VortexDuration: 00:05:15Date: December 8, 2023Following the raising of two bridges to allow the Bahia Grande wetland to refill with tidal and river flows, it was discovered that brown pelicans were crashing and dying on the bridges. Here, John Young, a wildlife biologist at the Texas Department of Transportation, tells the story of his team's work to install "pelican poles" and redesigned guardrails to help protect the pelicans.