Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Networks prepares for Wild Talks amid incoming sickened pelicans

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Just as the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network is getting ready to present Wild Talks at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, the organization has its hands full as large groups of sick pelicans continue turning up in Southern California.

Rescue workers saw more almost two dozen sick birds over a two-day period.

Rachel Mattovich, SBWCN communications manager described them as “dehydrated and emaciated."

She noted that the birds are not showing signs of avian influenza, or bird flu.

The Wildlife Care Network has remained in “emergency response mode” to care for these birds, according to a press release.

The SBWCN urges members of the public to call its helpline at 805-681-1080 if they see any pelicans falling over, losing balance, or seizing, and to not handle the animal directly.

The Wildlife Helpline is available from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., seven days a week.

Meanwhile, the organization is also encouraging the public to learn more about wildlife care at its upcoming Wild Talks featuring award-winning filmmaker Ian Shive at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History this week.

Wild Talks is a lecture series that explores the wild world through the eyes of experts in different wildlife fields. 

With Lynn Scarlett, previous Deputy Secretary of the Interior, and Geoffrey L. Haskett president of the National Wildlife Refuge Association by his side, Shive will share wildlife encounters, WWII history, and more.

Wild Talks will take place at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History on May 9.

For more information on Wild Talks, visit: https://www.sbwcn.org/events/nationalparks.