Latest news with #InternationalBirdRescue
The Citizen
4 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
24 hours in pictures, 14 August 2025
24 hours in pictures, 14 August 2025 Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world. Duduzile Zuma, daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, appears for a pre-trial hearing at the Durban High Court in Durban, 14 August 2025, facing terrorism and public violence charges stemming from her alleged involvement in the 2021 riots. Picture: Rajesh Jantilal Residents look at a minibus taxi that was set alight near the Maponya mall in Soweto on August 14, 2025 the day after gunmen killed a ride-hailing driver on August 14, 2025 in the latest violence between online operators and traditional taxi and minibus drivers. Ride-hailing drivers in South Africa have faced repeated deadly attacks by taxi and minibus drivers who say platforms like Uber and Bolt are undercutting their business. (Photo by EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP) Fluids are flushed orally via a tube for a Western gull while it recovers from an unknown illness at the International Bird Rescue facility in Los Angeles, California, USA, 13 August 2025. An unknown illness is plaguing Southern Californian Western gulls leaving an unusal surge of sick and dying birds according to the organizaiton International Bird Rescue. Picture: EPA/CAROLINE BREHMAN People revel amid 'carretillas' fireworks during the 'Nit del Alba' festival in Elche, Spain, 14 August 2025. Every year on the night of 13 August, Elche celebrates the Nit del Alba, during which hundreds of fireworks are launched, including 'carretillas' devices that emit sparks as they move unpredictably until culminating in a small explosion. Picture: EPA/PABLO MIRANZO Inmates at the opening of the newly established bakery at the Durban Management Area on August 14, 2025 in Durban, South Africa. The bakery will enable offenders to bake bread for their own consumption, thereby lowering operational costs and contributing to significant savings for the department. The initiative will also equip offenders with baking and entrepreneurial skills that can assist them in securing employment or starting small businesses upon reintegration into society. (Photo by Gallo Images/Darren Stewart) Fireworks light up the sky during Independence Day celebrations, in Peshawar, Pakistan, 14 August 2025. Pakistan is celebrating its 78th Independence Day on 14 August since it became a sovereign state in 1947. Picture: EPA/BILAWAL ARBAB A woman poses during the Petronio Alvarez Pacific Music Festival in Cali, Colombia, 13 August 2025. The 29th edition of the Petronio Alvarez Festival, held from 13 to 17 August, is the largest Afro-Colombian cultural event in Latin America. Picture: EPA/Ernesto Guzman A volunteer holds a rescued cat at the Adopt and Save a Life Rescue Mission seat in Miami, Florida, USA, 13 August 2025. According to the non-profit organization for animal rescue, they are now dealing with the issue of dogs, cats, and other pets that are left behind after their owners are deported from the USA. Picture: EPA/CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH Political satire artist Kaya Mar poses with his artwork depicting US President Trump, Ukraine's President Zelensky and Russian President Putin outside at Downing Street in London, Britain, 13 August 2025. British Prime Minister Starmer co-chaired a Coalition of the Willing meeting at Downing Street ahead of a Trump/Putin summit on 15 August 2025. Picture: EPA/ANDY RAIN A man battles the flames during a forest fire in the municiplaity of A Pobra de Trives, Ourense province, Spain, 13 August 2025. Multiple blazes continue to affect several provinces in Spain, after burning thousands of hectares across the country. Picture: EPA/BRAIS LORENZO Balinese Hindu people perform a ritual at a beach in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia, 14 August 2025. The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has issued an extreme weather warning for residents in southern Java and Bali for strong winds and high waves that are currently occurring and are expected to continue over the coming days. Picture: EPA/MADE NAGI Vendors sell flags of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan ahead of the fourth anniversary of the Taliban takeover, along a street in Kabul, Afghanistan, 13 August 2025. The Taliban government on 15 August marks the fourth year since its return to power in 2021, ending a major offensive which followed the withdrawal of US troops from the country. The takeover has resulted, among other things, in a reversal of women's rights, as well as the country becoming isolated internationally. Picture: EPA/SAMIULLAH POPAL MORE PICTURES: Strongman challenge at Randridge Mall
CBS News
5 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Southern California wildlife officials investigating "unusual surge" in sick and dying seagulls
Wildlife officials are investigating an "unusual surge" in sick and dying seagulls being found along the Southern California coastline in recent weeks. The International Bird Rescue, located in San Pedro, says that since July 25, they've received 16 Western Gulls exhibiting symptoms like dehydration, difficulty standing, partial or complete paralysis, confusion and difficulty blinking. The most severely sickened birds are also showing respiratory distress. "Some birds have been found dead on beaches," said a release from the organization. "Initial tests for bird flu on three of the earliest cases were negative; results from more recent cases are pending." In the nearly month-long span that they've been receiving patients with similar symptoms, International Bird Rescue officials say that birds have been found on a stretch of coastline ranging from Malibu and Venice to the Redondo Beach in the South Bay. The discoveries mark just another series of illnesses in a troubling trend for Los Angeles County wildlife since the start of 2025. In February, dozens of sickened sea lions were hospitalized by a massive domoic acid outbreak and in April wildlife officials were overwhelmed by a large amount of brown pelicans who were also poisoned by domoic acid. In Venice, near the famous canals, at least six dogs were dead and dozens of others ill due to a mystery illness that is still being investigated by public health officials. Anyone who notices a seagull acting strangely or showing signs that they're having trouble walking or standing is urged to call the Bird HelpLie at (866) 767-2473.
USA Today
15-05-2025
- USA Today
Sudden fowl fatalities bring a new bird mystery to San Francisco Bay Area
Sudden fowl fatalities bring a new bird mystery to San Francisco Bay Area Show Caption Hide Caption Stranded, hungry pelicans are being found along California's coast International Bird Rescue treated more than 400 brown pelicans in 2024, when this video was taken, and is closing in on 200 this year. SAN FRANCISCO – In the classic film 'The Birds,'' flocks of crows and other species suddenly and viciously attack people for no apparent reason. Now another Bay Area-based mystery has emerged involving avian creatures, though this time they're the ones in danger. Residents of East Richmond Heights, an East Bay community less than 15 miles from San Francisco, have reported in recent weeks increasing numbers of birds dropping dead to the ground from power lines. Popping sounds similar to firecrackers have been heard moments before the birds' deaths. A sign attached to a wooden pole in the area of the incidents says, 'Over 50 birds have died + continue to die here after landing on the top power line,'' but it's not clear the electricity wires have anything to do with the fowl fatalities. Neighbors have found carcasses in their yards and on the street, creating an eerie feeling and growing alarm, not unlikely the reaction from locals in the 1963 suspense drama from acclaimed director Alfred Hitchcock, set mostly in the Sonoma County town of Bodega Bay. Maximillian Bolling of Richmond told KGO-TV, an ABC affiliate in San Francisco, that he has seen a number of birds abruptly plummet to their demise, and that between himself and neighbors they have spotted at least 13 of their corpses. Plummeting to a 'really violent' death 'So when they land and it happens, they just quickly explode and it's really violent,'' he told the station. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said it's investigating after residents raised concerns the birds might have been electrocuted. In a statement to USA TODAY, the department said it examined two dead birds – a mourning dove and a European starling – sent in by Northern California energy provider PG&E. The DFW lab staff 'found no signs of electrocution in the collected birds,'' the statement said. 'The birds did show injuries consistent with trauma that could possibly have been caused by pellet gun, BB gun or a slingshot.'' Photos of other birds from that location also showed traumatic injuries, the department said, adding that it couldn't determine their cause. That raises the possibility of someone intentionally harming the birds, and the Contra Costa County sheriff's department has been notified. PG&E validated, but some still skeptical The DFW analysis seems to validate PG&E's contention that it's not at fault in this matter, although neighbors expressed skepticism to KGO, questioning whether a BB gun could make a firecracker-like sound or a shooter could display such consistent accuracy. The utility has yet to regain the trust of many people in Northern California after its equipment set off devastating wildfires in the region in recent years. Nonetheless, spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian said the company appreciated its customers' concerns for the birds. 'PG&E does not believe that there was an issue with our electrical equipment and agrees that these birds were not electrocuted,'' she said in a statement, adding that, 'The pole at issue is compliant with avian safe guidance, as established by the Avian Powerline Interaction Committee.''
San Francisco Chronicle
26-04-2025
- Health
- San Francisco Chronicle
Brown pelicans are starving across California. Wildlife experts think they know why
JD Bergeron felt the dread return this spring when worried volunteers kept showing up at International Bird Rescue's wildlife facilities with starving brown pelicans. It's happening again, Bergeron thought. For the third time in four years, brown pelicans around California appear to be ailing. Over the past month, more than 100 malnourished and struggling birds have been brought to the nonprofit's Bay Area and Southern California wildlife centers, said Bergeron, International Bird Rescue's CEO. The birds are arriving listless and starving, and are being found in places out of their habitat: parking lots, backyards and even a tattoo shop. Many sport additional injuries, probably caused by fishing hooks or lines. 'There's been semi-regular problems with brown pelicans,' he said. 'These large population crashes result in lots of birds coming in for care. Fortunately, many can be saved.' Bergeron and others believe climate change is warming water close to the ocean surface — sending the fish that pelicans eat deeper and out of their reach, leading to skinny, malnourished and disoriented birds. The phenomenon marks a potentially worrying setback for a species that has struggled over the years and spent decades on the endangered species list due to exposure to DDT, a synthetic pesticide that weakened eggshells, causing their breeding numbers to plummet. It wasn't until 2009 that brown pelicans were removed from the list. Last year, the Bay Area rescue center and its Southern California counterpart treated hundreds of malnourished pelicans, which wildlife officials attributed to a late spring storm that made fishing extremely difficult for the birds. A similar starvation happened in spring 2022, when almost 800 pelicans were admitted into wildlife facilities and close to 400 were returned to the wild, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. This year's wave of malnourished pelicans came as the bird sanctuary was already dealing with an onslaught of birds suffering from poisoning from domoic acid, caused by algal blooms. Then, dozens of young pelicans started arriving at International Bird Rescue's wildlife centers. By the end of March, the center was treating 41 birds, including many that hatched this year, Bergeron said. Large numbers of fledgling pelicans can point to a strong breeding year, but he and others worry that the domoic acid bloom may have poisoned parent pelicans, causing fledglings to leave their nests in search of food. More pelicans kept arriving in April, but many of those did not seem to be suffering from domoic acid, he said. 'It took us a minute to realize, 'Uh-oh, it's transitioning,'' he said. 'We were nervous, having had challenges in 2022 and 2024, we thought, 'Maybe this is something cyclical,' but … this happening the very next year wasn't on any of our radars.' Bergeron and others are concerned that fish are swimming deeper to escape warming ocean waters, out of pelicans' reach. Other animals that eat the same fish don't seem to be suffering. 'There are changes in the ocean resulting in pelicans not being able to feed the way they historically have,' he said. Now, the birds are gorging — they can eat their body weight in fish every day — and the influx of birds has Bergeron's staff working long hours, scrambling to make sure it has enough food, medicine and other supplies to care for its patients. 'We're clearly not out of the woods,' Bergeron said. 'We need to dig deeper and figure out what are the root causes of this problem and how do we fix that.'
Los Angeles Times
16-04-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
Adult pelicans are falling victim to toxic algae bloom. Now their babies are starving, too
Brown Pelicans across Southern California are filling up wildlife rehabilitation centers, either sick or starving — a dual crisis that wildlife experts believe could be linked to a massive toxic algae bloom. For the last month, hundreds of seabirds have been poisoned by domoic acid, a neurotoxin produced in harmful algal blooms that are consumed by filter-feeding fish, such as anchovies and sardines. The small fish aren't affected by the toxins, but many seabirds and marine mammals that feed on these fish are, and the sickness can be deadly. More than 100 area seas lions have been sickened and killed by the toxins over the last few months, along with several dozen dolphins that have died. But more recently, officials have also been responding to an influx of baby pelicans that aren't sick from the toxins — but are struggling to survive because they're extremely malnourished. Officials think the two phenomena are related: as more adult pelicans become sick, disoriented or die, that has left more and more baby pelicans to fend for themselves, leaving their nests prematurely when they don't yet know how to fish. It's just a theory right now, but experts say it would help explain the unprecedented number of starving baby pelicans turning up at wildlife rescue centers. 'It is unusual for us to receive such a high volume of chicks that are this young,' the International Bird Rescue, a global conservation organization that has one of its largest wildlife rescue centers in San Pedro, wrote on its website. 'Many are very young birds, not fully grown, and do not seem to understand how to feed themselves.' 'They are just starving and cold and sad,' said Rebecca Duerr, the center's director of research and veterinary science. At its San Pedro location, specialists were caring for 60 pelican babies as of Tuesday, with more arriving every day, Duerr said. That's in addition to about 50 other birds, many adult pelicans, that have come into the center over the last month because of the domoic acid poisoning. More than half of the birds have since died. 'We keep thinking it's over and then we get more birds,' Duerr said of the influx. There have been other times in recent years when the California brown pelican, a federally protected species, has been found dead or emaciated in high numbers, and other years when large numbers of animals have become sick from domoic acid as the algae bloom is naturally occurring. But the concurrent events this year are especially concerning to officials. Debbie McGuire, the executive director of the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, said she believes runoff from the Los Angeles firestorm likely elevated this year's bloom, as changes to nutrient levels in the ocean can increase the strength and length of the bloom. Officials don't yet know how long this bloom will last. Scientists have also found that human-caused climate change and warming ocean waters can also increase the growth of harmful algae blooms. McGuire said she can't remember a time in the last 20 years when her organization has treated this many birds with domoic acid at one time, noting that it is testing the center's workforce and capacity. 'My staff is burning the midnight oil for a month now,' McGuire said. 'It's hard on them — a lot of compassion and love goes into our work.' As of Tuesday, she said her team is caring for almost 60 brown pelicans, up seven from the day before — and most require intensive care, often including anti-seizure medication, IVs or lessons on how to feed themselves. Still, more than 50% of the pelicans they've taken in over the last month have died, as many birds sickened by domoic acid cannot be saved if the illness has progressed too far. 'If we get them quick enough we can save them, but time is of the essence,' McGuire said. The two centers said people have found the disoriented birds in unexpected and often hazardous locations over the last month, including on the 405 Freeway, on a terminal at LAX and near Amazon warehouses. The birds 'don't know where they are, they get confused, they fly inland,' McGuire said. Both rescue centers are also treating other seabirds ill from domoic acid, including the western grebes, brandt's cormorants and red-throated loons, but brown pelicans have most frequently been sick. Neither location has reached capacity yet, but McGuire said it's a concern if the situation continues at current rates. In a recent post on social media, the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center asked for monetary donations or items on their wishlist to help ensure they can keep providing the care the animals need. The International Bird Rescue also has asked for donations to help it respond to what its called a seabird crisis. 'Stress is high as we care for over 52 pelicans, many of whom are not yet eating on their own, with no clear sign of slowing down soon,' the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center said in its post. Officials warned beachgoers to use extreme caution when approaching any sick or dead animal, including seabirds. If you encounter one, the International Bird Rescue urged people to call the organization's bird helpline at (866) 767-2473. The Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center recommended people to call their local animal control office or find more information online. Times staff writer Summer Lin contributed to this report.
