Cause of pelican deaths still unknown

The cause of the pelican deaths along Topsail Beach remains a mystery, according to examiners.

“Necropsies are excruciatingly thorough,” said Kevin Keel, a doctor of veterinary medicine with Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine in Athens, Ga. “I don’t think anybody is murdering these animals … but the problem that presents to me is to come up with a cause of mortality.”

However, local wildlife rehabilitators and volunteers examining the dead birds reported decapitations, wings sliced open to destroy the tendons and muscles and prevent the birds from flying and gunshot wounds.

Sara Schweitzer, a biologist with North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, sent the 10 pelican samples to Georgia for the animal autopsies around Dec. 22.

Keel submitted the preliminary report of his findings on Jan. 5: “Preliminary Diagnosis: Undetermined.”

In that report, released this week by request to The Daily News, Keel said all the sample birds had injuries consistent with scavenging. Only one of them had a bone fracture.

“All have these defects in the skin and muscle as a result of scavenging, there were no fractures consistent with a cut or broken bones … I do not believe I am misconstruing the lesions,” he said.

He said some of the birds were submitted completely intact; therefore, he believes he received a good representative sampling, even though 9 of the 10 birds were juveniles.

“The internal organs were very fresh, even though some of the muscle was eaten, due to the very cold water conditions,” he said.

Recent inclement weather throughout the southeast has further delayed toxicology results, which could determine any pathological agent or virus that caused the mass deaths, Keel said.

“It could still be two to three weeks before we get that stage back; it’s not as timely as we’d like,” he said.

Since extremely cold weather arrived around Christmas and remained through the New Year, there have been very few reports of dead birds found with visible injuries not weather related, according to local officials.

“It appears the numbers have decreased significantly, but I am still accepting calls from people who want to report any cases,” Schweitzer said.

She said she is storing dead birds in the event more necropsies are needed. To her knowledge none have been ordered.

She has also collected data from the rehabilitation centers and asked everyone involved to document everything going forward.

“Marine fisheries realizes there are all sorts of things to consider, and it’s doing a complete job putting all the pieces together,” she said.

Toni O’Neal, the director of Possumwood Acres, read Keel’s preliminary report but still believes the injuries were deliberately caused.

“I think the results were completely muddled by the (scavenging) — gulls can land on something and do a lot of damage in just a few moments,” she said. “If (wildlife officials) had come and gotten those first few bodies when I called them and asked them to look at them, I believe the results would be different, but nobody did.”

She believes the preliminary necropsy report — and its details about the overall condition of the birds — is still telling.

“All the birds were really healthy up to the point of death,” she said.

Mary Ellen Rogers, the director of Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter at Oak Island, called the necropsy results “suspect.”

“There’s just too many errors here, the information is not accurate,” she said, after reading the preliminary report. She noted that one pelican in the report was reported to weigh 13 pounds.

“Thirteen pounds, that’s just ludicrous — I’ve treated over 58 pelicans, and I’ve never had one weighing more than 10 pounds,” said Rogers, who considers herself somewhat of a pelican expert after dealing with wounded pelicans for more than three years.

And she does not believe there were nearly enough birds examined given the huge numbers of birds found. She said she is still convinced the injuries were inflicted intentionally, particularly since the injuries occurring from year to year are too similar to just be a coincidence, she added.

“Whoever is doing this this year, the individual is killing them, not just injuring them,” she said. “It’s malicious.”

Background:

Pelicans appearing to have serious and intentionally inflicted wounds started appearing — both dead and alive — along Topsail Beach at the beginning of November. Possumwood Acres Wildlife Sanctuary volunteers who were collecting the birds estimated there have been more than 200 dead or mortally injured birds collected through December.

Birds have also washed up in Wrightsville Beach, Morehead City, Onslow Beach and Oak Island, according to officials.

Preliminary necropsy results from the University of Georgia on 10 of the pelicans indicate the deaths are not malicious. However, wildlife rehabilitators question that finding.

State, federal and local officials have formed a task force too look into the pelican deaths.

How you can help:

A reward from various sources including Possumwood Acres, Crime Stoppers, The Humane Society and PETA is being offered for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for harming the pelicans.

Possumwood Acres can be reached at 910-326-6432.

To report wildlife violations, contact the Wildlife Resources Commission at 1-800-662-7137. Violations can be reported anonymously.

Crime Stoppers can be reached at 910-938-3273. Callers do not have to reveal their identity.