Wisconsin Avian Rehabilitation Facility Reports Surge in Bird Shootings
The founder of an avian rehabilitation facility in Antigo says this is the worst year she’s ever seen for shootings of protected birds,including an American white pelican currently undergoing treatment.
Founded in 1990, the Raptor Education Group Inc. in Antigo has admitted at least 23 protected birds this year, while normally seeing fewer than five such cases annually, according to founder Marge Gibson.
The injured birds include an American white pelican captured in Ashland and turned over to the facility this month, as well as five pelicans from the Appleton and Neenah area during late summer and early fall.American white pelicans are protected under federal law, and it’s illegal to hunt or shoot them. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is investigating the Ashland shooting.
DNR staff transported the Ashland pelican, captured Dec. 3 from the icy shoreline of Lake Superior’s Chequamegon Bay.
“We X-rayed him and found (birdshot) in his body (and) in his neck. He had pellets that went through his beak, the bone and the keratin of his beak and his pouch,” gibson said. “It woudl have been hard for him to eat even if he had felt like it, but he had also developed lead poisoning from the shot.”
Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy announced a $2,500 reward for data leading to the arrest and prosecution of the person responsible for shooting the pelican captured in Ashland.
“(S)hootings of these migratory birds is deeply disturbing and a case of serial poaching,” Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action, said in a news release.
Ryan Brady, DNR conservation biologist, captured the American white pelican in Ashland on Dec.3. An examination by the Raptor Education Group in Antigo revealed the bird had been shot. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin DNR
Injured Pelican Found in Ashland Highlights Rise in Bird Shootings in Wisconsin
An injured pelican found on the icy shoreline of Ashland, Wisconsin, is the latest case in a troubling trend of protected birds being shot in the state. wildlife officials are investigating the incident and urging the public to report any information regarding these shootings.
Figure with a pelican on an icy shoreline under a partly cloudy blue sky.
The injured pelican was found on Ashland’s icy shoreline on Dec. 3. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin DNR.
According to Wisconsin Public Radio, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is investigating whether the pelican was intentionally shot. DNR Conservation Warden April Luessman stated that violations related to hunting, pursuing, or shooting a protected species carry a penalty of $303.30. https://www.wpr.org/news/injured-pelican-found-ashland-highlights-rise-bird-shootings-wisconsin
The injured pelican is currently recuperating at a wildlife facility, were it is responding well to treatment and eating both live minnows and dead fish. Despite its progress, the bird is missing a wedge of its beak. The facility is incurring important costs for medication to treat potential lead poisoning,ranging from $320 to $1,800 per bottle. The pelican is expected to remain at the facility until its release in the spring.
This incident is not isolated. The facility has also admitted other protected birds this year, including peregrine falcons, bald eagles, and trumpeter swans, all victims of shootings. Many of these birds have sustained injuries to the mouth or abdomen and, tragically, most have either died or required euthanasia.
“It makes me so frustrated because it feels like it’s coming from a place of anger,” said the facility’s director,expressing the emotional toll the shootings are taking on her staff. Three employees have left the facility this year, likely due to the distressing nature of the cases.
The DNR is asking anyone with information about the shootings to come forward.Confidential reports can be made by calling or texting the DNR’s tipline at 1-800-847-9367 or by submitting a report online: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/contact/Hotline.html.
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