The toxic algae bloom off the coast of Southern California is now sickening hundreds of pelicans and other birds who eat fish.
Dr. Elizabeth Wood, a veterinarian with the Wetlands Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, told KNX News’ Emily Valdez that 40 birds that became sick from eating fish filled with domoic acid from the toxic algae bloom came into the care center. Of those birds, 10 survived.
“We're getting Pacific loons, cormorants, pelicans, basically any seabirds that feed out in the ocean,” she said.
She added that there were a lot of reports of large flocks of birds out on jetties that appeared ill and disoriented, but officials couldn’t get to them.
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“To know that those are out there and know that we're sort of waiting for them to get sicker so that they could be captured and brought in for care is the really alarming part that the numbers might be really, really big,” she said.
Anyone who sees a sick bird with jerky movement is urged to contact a lifeguard or call animal control.
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