Jan 19, 2008 5:09 pm US/Pacific
Injured Pelican Is Still MIA
AGOURA HILLS (CBS) ―
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Rescuers are hoping to capture, and help, a pelican who has an arrow lodged in its beak.
CBS
Rescuers searching for a white pelican with an arrow lodged through its beak were unsuccessful Saturday, but say they got an important lead today that may help the public identify the person responsible for injuring the bird.
Rescuers armed with binoculars and good intentions hit the area around Malibou Lake, Westlake and Lake Sherwood in the Santa Monica Mountains today and spent hours looking for the wounded pelican, sai dRebecca Dmytryk. But they were not successful.
Dmytryk said the group showed a picture of the pelican to archers in the area and, because of the type of projectile involved, believe the bird was hit by a hunting arrow rather than an errant shot from a recreational archer.
"They said it's not a target arrow," she said. "They seem to think someone will recognize it because hunters personalize (their arrows)." She said the arrow bears distinctive colors of red and blue along the white shaft.
Rescuers are worried that time is running out for the bird. It was spotted nearly two weeks ago, and has eluded capture by good Samaritans who fear it will eventually starve to death.
The pelican was last seen at Lake Balboa in the Sepulveda Basin on Wednesday, and is believed to be wintering with other white pelicans on lakes in western Los Angeles County.
American white pelicans are a freshwater bird with a wingspan of up to 9 feet, and are protected under state law.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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