Hope takes flight

Andrew Edwards

Hope took wing at Little Corona beach Wednesday after spending more

than two months in captivity recuperating from a vicious attack by

someone who nearly cut off the bird’s throat pouch.

“We’ve been calling her Hope because we’ve all been waiting for

this day,” said Debbie McGuire, anticipating the California brown

pelican’s release. McGuire is wildlife director for the Wetlands and

Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, where the pelican stayed

while recovering from the apparent attack.

Veterinarian Heather Nevill, who volunteered to care for Hope

during multiple surgeries, let the pelican out of her gray plastic

carrier. After the door opened, Hope waddled out, and stopped. The

bird seemed to be puzzled as she turned her head to see the line of

news photographers who had congregated on the sand to document her

release.

Almost completely surrounded by journalists and curious children

who watched with their parents, Hope stood placidly while voices in

the crowd called for those assembled around her to step back. One

woman tried to encourage Hope to fly by approaching the bird from

behind and clapping, but the pelican simply waddled into the wet

sand, her webbed feet leaving an impression.

For a few more moments, Hope remained quiet, gazing at the crowd.

Then without warning, she unfurled her wings and took off above the

waves. She skimmed the surface of the ocean as she headed to the

jetty.

“That was wonderful,” Nevill said. “What was best is she flew so

far before she landed again. The fact that she flew so far is such a

good sign.”

McGuire cried tears of joy after Hope took flight.

“We weren’t sure she was going to make it when she first got here,

and now she’s out,” McGuire said.

Hope’s road to Little Corona was not an easy one. She was found

suffering from a slashed pouch in Huntington Beach in mid-April. Her

pouch was almost completely cut away from her beak, and those who

cared for the pelican believe someone intentionally injured the bird.

“With this type of injury it is hard to make up a story how she

could have done it to herself,” Nevill said. Before Wednesday’s

flight, Nevill was part of the team of volunteers who performed

Hope’s surgeries.

California brown pelicans are endangered, and if she was attacked,

the penalty could be stiff. Animal cruelty is a felony under state

law, and hurting an endangered species is a federal crime. A guilty

party could face one year behind bars and a hefty $100,000 fine.

“I really wish we could catch these people because there’s a lot

of horrible things that happen,” McGuire said.

Before Hope was found, another pelican with a cut pouch and beak

was discovered in Newport Beach. That animal died.

Veterinarians stitched Hope’s pouch back into shape during four

surgeries performed at the All Creatures Care Cottage in Costa Mesa.

By Wednesday, Hope’s pouch had not yet completely healed, but her

veterinarians were confident her recovery would continue in the wild

and she would be able to thrive along the beaches.

“It will keep healing on its own because it’s really healthy,”

McGuire said. “It may not close completely, but it will close

enough.”

In the days leading to Wednesday’s release, Hope was clearly ready

to go back to the water, said Lisa Birkle, assistant wildlife

director for the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center. Birkle was tasked

to run Hope’s blood tests, and the bird would take to the air and

crash about her cage whenever Birkle needed to draw a blood sample.

“She kept hitting me in the head every time I’d go in there,”

Birkle said.

“[Hope] had a great desire to live. That’s probably the only thing

that saved her besides the surgery,” Birkle added.

Hope’s veterinarians were encouraged by her stubbornness. Spending

two months in captivity did not seem to have dulled Hope’s edge.

“One of the things that’s so nice about this bird is she’s really

feisty,” Nevill said. “She gives us a run for our money. She’s wild

and she’s still strong.”