Pelican injured from fishing wire rehabilitated and released into Punta Gorda park

A pelican is back in the wild where it belongs after recovering from injuries it sustained when it was ensnared in fishing wire.

The Peace River Wildlife Center released a fully recovered pelican at Laishley Park late Wednesday morning. The pelican wasted little time when the cage door opened. Quickly stretching its wings out and flying up into the sky to check out its new surroundings.

According to the Peace River Wildlife Center, the pelican was injured off a pier where it was found tangled in a fishing line.

“They make it worse by pulling it tighter trying to get it off, and it cuts into the skin,” said Robin Jenkins, the director of veterinary services at the Peace River Wildlife Center.

Those at the Peace River Wildlife Center are keenly aware of the constant danger brought on by tossing fishing lines or nets into the water. These are hazards for all wildlife, not just pelicans.

For animals impacted by these hazards, recovery can take a long time, as Cassie Tessier, the center’s rehabilitation manager, knows all too well.

“Sometimes when they’re grounded, they’ve been grounded for a while and have lost muscle mass, so once they’re eating on their own and they’re feisty, it’s usually a good sign they’re ready to go,” said Tessier.

Jenkins and Tessier know how lucky the released pelican was. Unfortunately, not all are as lucky since wildlife is hurt in similar ways all the time.

The Peace River Wildlife Center saw dozens of injured pelicans in 2023.

“Sixty-four pelicans last year; I would say the preponderance are fishing line injuries,” said Jenkins.

“It’s fishing line, fishing hooks, car accidents,” said the center’s executive director, Tricia LaPointe.

After much hard work, time and dedication, the fully recovered pelican gets a fresh start.

He’s back in a 17-acre home with miles of water all around, giving the bird a bountiful source to get meal after meal for his long life ahead.

For LaPointe, that means mission accomplished.

“The goal is rescue, rehab and then ultimately release,” said LaPointe. “We want to get as many animals back into their native habitat as possible.”

While fishing, it’s important to remember to properly discard left-over fishing lines, hooks and netting.

Also, do not cut the line if you get a bird on your fishing hook.

“Get an extra person to help. Wear eye protection (sunglasses) if available. Slowly reel the bird in, cover its eyes, carefully remove the hook and release the bird,” said the Peace River Wildlife Center.

These are simple steps everyone can abide by to help birds fly free and stay healthy across Southwest Florida.

Watch the full pelican release at the top of the article.

Click here to learn more about the Peace River Wildlife Center.

Click here to learn more about what to do if you find or accidentally injure a pelican.

Click here to learn more about what to do if you find injured wildlife.