Earlier this month I
received news that World Bird Sanctuary’s Education Training Center, or ETC,
would be housing a white pelican nicknamed Nigel. I have written about him in a
previous blog, but for those who don’t know, Nigel was rehabilitated at the
wildlife hospital located at WBS.
From this perspective Nigel is all beak (photo: Adam Triska)
After several months of
rehab, Nigel has shown some improvement but still is unable to walk. It was
decided that the best thing would be to keep Nigel in the care of people for
the remainder of his life. The injury to his left leg and foot is just too
debilitating for him to survive in the wild.
Nigel spends his days in an indoor pool where he swims and
eats at his leisure. One of
Nigel’s favorite activities of the day is when we help him preen the feathers
around his head and neck. Preening can be described as the behaviors associated
with the cleaning or upkeep of the feathers on a bird. We noticed that he was unable to remove
the outer casing of the new feathers growing in, and
it seemed uncomfortable for him, so daily we help him out by lightly scratching
around his head and neck. I
scratched on the back of his head and he
stretched his neck out and started to move his bad leg in a scratching motion,
just like a dog does when you scratch behind its ears! It was a great indication that he was
enjoying the extra attention. It
was also a comical and gratifying experience for me.
As much as we enjoy Nigel,
hopefully his stay at the ETC will be short. We are currently working to place Nigel at a different
facility. We want to send him to a place where he will be able to enjoy an outdoor
pond and some new pelican friends.
He has been a great resident and teacher to the new interns and
volunteers and will be sorely missed when he goes to his new home.
1 comment:
I am so happy to read that the pelican I transported to you from the UMC vet school is alive & well! Thank you for giving Nigel the high level of care he deserves.
Liz Wells
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