As Hurricane Dorian pushes up the eastern United States, some wildlife are being hit pretty hard.
PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, jumped into action Friday when the group got a tip about some injured pelicans stranded on a bridge in Virginia Beach, Virginia, not far from PETA’s headquarters.
PETA’s “emergency response team” rushed to the scene where they found a pelican on a sidewalk unable to fly and then four more “who were wind-battered and disoriented, struggling to take flight in the middle of the road as cars whizzed past.”
One by one, the birds were located.
And picked up.
“One call from a good Samaritan helped get these poor shell-shocked pelicans on the road to recovery,” says PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA urges everyone to take action for animals during natural disasters, including by always taking animal companions with them during evacuations and keeping an eye out for animals in need.”
RESCUED! PETA’s Emergency Rescue team wasted NO time leaping into action after receiving a report of a pelican who was unable to fly & stranded on a bridge in the middle of #HurricaneDorian.
Four more wind-battered birds were found and all were brought to safety. pic.twitter.com/mYjybdHVVq
— PETA (@peta) September 6, 2019
The birds were taken to a local rehabilitation facility where they were treated for cuts, scrapes and an exposed tendon.
“Once they recover (and Dorian passes), they’ll be released back into the wild,” PETA added.
Photos PETA
So glad these birds are safe! Every act of kindness matters, especially in a natural disaster.