How It All Started
Every caring person can make a difference. Even more powerful, a dedicated team of employees and volunteers in Pelican Man Bird Sanctuary is making a huge difference in the life of more than sixty thousand migrating and native birds and other animals of Florida's Sarasota Bay.
It all started in 1981, when Dale Shields found a pelican, lying on the beach. The bird looked dead. When it finally moved its eyes, Dale rushed it home. At the time, there were no organizations that would be able to help, so the nursing took place in Dale's bathtub until the pelican was well enough to be released back into the wild.
During this experience Dale developed a vision to create a Wildlife Rescue of Sarasota and succeeded after eight years, in 1989. The construction of the Pelican Man's Bird Sanctuary began with the generous help from the City of Sarasota. Throughout the last year alone the Sanctuary has rehabilitated and released over 4,000 birds into the wild.
Injuries
Some of the common injuries for which the birds are treated in Pelican Man's Bird Sanctuary hospital are: wing, eye, leg and feet injuries, and beak damage.
And reasons for most of these and several other injuries$%:
There are many of them, including the environmental issues like polluted water and traffic struck. Fishing line entanglement and fishing hooks cause lots of troubles as well. Therefore, all the fishermen should keep in mind not to cut the line when a bird swallows a fishing hook. The hook has to be removed. Lots of injuries are caused from predator attacks as well.
One of the most surprising common injury reasons are hits by golf balls. In particular Sandhill Cranes are the victims of golfing quite often.
Since the wetland and grassland areas are smaller and smaller every year due to drainage projects, agricultural development and logging, these sensitive to disturbance and very majestic birds are trying to survive and look for new feeding and roosting habitats which include margins of lakes and ponds. Two very important factors for nesting location of sandhill cranes are isolation and presence of water. No wonder we find them at the golf courses.
Hospital
The backbone of the sanctuary is of course the hospital in which on average fifteen patients per day are treated. Wildlife Rescue volunteers bring the birds in after caring people report injured, sick or orphaned bird.
All of the birds are supposed to be released back in the wild. Unfortunately, that's not always possible. Some of the injuries are so severe that a survival is endangered. For that reason some birds are given a permanent home in natural, spacious habitat at the Pelican Man's Bird Sanctuary.
And what better proves that this is a nice place to live than a choice of several wild birds to live and breed in or around the Sanctuary.
How You Too Can Help
Dale Shields passed away in 2003. His life was dedicated to wildlife despite his ill-health. But his vision survived. It is alive and growing with new areas developing in the Sanctuary and more being planned on.
If you, too, are concerned about the wildlife or just birds, it's easy to help this bird-and- visitor friendly and well maintained place. You have several choices and you can find one that suits your budget and interest with no hassle. If you are in the area, go visit and see the Sanctuary for yourself.
Recently constructed Heronry, the most advanced habitat at the Sanctuary for Herons, Ibis and Egrets, is focused on water and native wetland plants. This super-structure is designed for minimizing maintenance and disturbance to the birds. Any size of your help or donation improves the living conditions for all the birds that found safe home at the Pelican Man's.
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