Yahoo! News - Broken Wing Pelican Tried Walking South U.S. National - AP
Broken Wing Pelican Tried Walking South
Thu Nov 28, 8:37 PM ET
OTTAWA, Wis. (AP) - A white pelican rescued from the cold North this week had a broken wing, but its sense of direction appeared to be fine.
Phil Thieme found the bird trudging south, first along his driveway and then down the road near southeastern Wisconsin's Horicon Marsh. Fearing for the pelican's life, he and his neighbors corralled it Monday using a net and a blanket.
"It was bound and determined to go south. It kept walking down the middle of the road," said Jean Seinke, one of the rescuers.
The pelican was taken to Ottawa's Wildlife in Need Center, which will try to repair the wing surgically, said Judy Budnick, the center's executive director. She said it was not known how the protected bird was injured.
Tom Erdman, curator of the Richter Museum of Natural History at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, said the pelican would have an urge to go south this time of year, but probably had more immediate motivations.
"It could theoretically be walking south. It's a delightful thought," Erdman said. But he added that "survival was probably the first thing on its mind — looking for open water and fish."
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