From Search to Rescue to Release: A Precious Brown Pelican Flies Free
California Brown Pelican Release September4 2026.
From Search to Rescue to Release
Sometimes, being there, paying attention, and knowing what to look for can change everything.
On the evening of July 22, Wildlife Jewels® Founder and Executive Director Azi Sharif arrived at Crystal Cove State Park to conduct a routine Wildlife Jewels Rescue Crew Search Scout survey — part of Wildlife Jewels’ ongoing work searching for wildlife in distress and documenting threats along the Southern California coast.
Fishing-gear entanglement was especially on Azi’s mind. Wildlife Jewels had been documenting an alarming number of entangled seabirds, including 10 entangled Brandt’s Cormorants during a single survey at Point La Jolla shortly before that evening.
That awareness mattered.
As Azi began the long walk toward the beach, she saw a park staff member and asked whether they had seen any wildlife in distress.
They had.
An entangled Brown Pelican was on the beach.
In an instant, a Search Scout survey became a rescue mission.
A Race Against Time
It was late in the day, with less than an hour until sunset. The beach was a long distance from the parking area, and the pelican was still mobile. If he entered the ocean, he could become unreachable.
Azi immediately ran back to her vehicle, gathered Wildlife Jewels’ rescue equipment and a large pelican transport crate, and hurried back down the long trail carrying everything she would need to reach him.
When she found the pelican, his condition was heartbreaking.
Fishing line was tightly wrapped around his wing and shoulder, and his wing appeared severely injured. But he could still move — and the ocean was only steps away.
Two compassionate beachgoers offered to help. They carefully positioned themselves to discourage the pelican from moving toward the water while Azi approached with the rescue net.
The first attempt missed.
Suddenly, the pelican began running toward the ocean.
Azi ran after him, reached the shoreline, and managed to get the rescue net completely over him before he entered the water.
He was safe.
From the moment Azi began approaching the pelican to the moment he was safely contained took approximately 15 minutes.
After the search, the rush back through the park for equipment, carrying the large transport crate down the trail, locating and safely containing the pelican, and transporting him out of the park as daylight faded, the rescue mission was complete.
But one difficult question remained:
Would he ever fly again?
California Brown Pelican Rescued by Wildlife Jewels Rescue Crew July 22, 2026.
From an Uncertain Future to an Extraordinary Recovery
The following morning, Azi transported the pelican to The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center (WWCC), where the professional rehabilitation team took over his care.
Three fishing hooks and tightly wrapped fishing line were removed, and WWCC provided the treatment and rehabilitation needed for his recovery. Thankfully, X-rays showed no fractures, but the pelican had sustained significant soft-tissue and joint injuries to his wing.
His future was uncertain. With an injury that severe, there was no guarantee that he would regain the strength and function necessary to return to the wild.
Then, little by little, something remarkable happened.
He healed.
Left: California Brown Pelican Entangled found and rescued by Wildlife Jewels Rescue Crew July 22 2026 at Crystal Cove State Park
Right: California Brown Pelican rehabilitated at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center
Through weeks of dedicated treatment and rehabilitation at Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center, the pelican regained his strength and progressed until he reached the milestone everyone had hoped for:
He was ready to return to the wild.
And Then, He Flew 🪽
On September 4, Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center released him back to the wild. As his crate opened at the shoreline, he took off.
The pelican whose damaged wing had once made us wonder whether he would ever fly again soared back over the ocean.
And then came an unforgettable sight.
He joined other pelicans flying nearby.
After everything — the entanglement, the race before dark, three fishing hooks, an injured wing, the rescue, and weeks of rehabilitation — this beautiful pelican was once again exactly what he was meant to be:
Wild and free.
His journey was made possible by a chain of people who cared: Wildlife Jewels’ Rescue Crew Search Scout field monitoring, which put trained eyes on the coast looking for wildlife in distress; the park staff member who alerted Azi to the entangled pelican; the beachgoers who stepped in to help; Wildlife Jewels’ rescue and transport response; and the incredible team at Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center, whose professional treatment and rehabilitation gave him the chance to fly again.
Why We Search
His story is also a powerful reminder of why we search.
Wildlife Jewels’ Rescue Crew Search Scout surveys are about more than documenting what is happening along our coastline. They put trained, aware eyes in the field looking for wildlife in distress and threats that might otherwise go unnoticed.
That evening, awareness led to action.
A search became a rescue.
A rescue became a second chance.
And a second chance became a flight back to freedom.
Sometimes, extraordinary outcomes begin with something as simple as paying attention.
Watch His Journey From Rescue to Release
From entangled in three fishing hooks and tightly wrapped fishing line, with a severely injured wing, to soaring over the ocean again.
Watch this remarkable journey from Wildlife Jewels’ rescue response through professional rehabilitation at Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center and, finally, his return to the wild.
Fly free. Wishing you a long, beautiful life in the wild. 💙🪽
Sometimes, miracles really do happen. ✨
Help Wildlife in Distress
Wildlife Jewels works along the Southern California coast to search for and identify wildlife in distress, document human-caused threats, respond to wildlife emergencies within the scope of our Rescue Program, and transport rescued birds to licensed wildlife rehabilitation facilities for professional care.
Your support helps provide rescue equipment, field supplies, transportation, and other resources needed for this work.
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Follow the remarkable rescue of an entangled Brown Pelican at Crystal Cove, from fishing-gear injuries through rehabilitation to his return to the wild.