Pelican In Trouble
 

Some of you may recall Byron's post a week or so ago about "Ralph", an American Pelican caught at a strip club in Nova Scotia.

Ralph is an immature Brown Pelican who was apparently blown off course by a hurricane a few months ago and found himself far from home.

Ralph has been taken in by Hope For Wildlife, an animal rescue center near Halifax but he needs to get home so he can learn to be a pelican. An animal rescue center in North Carolina has agreed to take him. All would seem to be well, but US Customs authorities at Halifax International Airport will not clear Ralph and his minders to board a commercial flight to the USA. To get home, Ralph the pelican must rely on kindness of strangers - Front - TheChronicleHerald.ca

Here's where a Pelican might be able to help. Ralph, through some bureaucratic Catch 22 can be cleared by customs on US soil. So if he can be transported privately to a US Port Of Entry. he can continue to North Carolina.

How about it? Are any Pelicans with access to a private aircraft in a position to transport a big brown bird and two handlers from Nova Scotia to a port on the Eastern Seaboard? If so, please contact: info@hopeforwildlife.net
or call them at (902) 407 WILD

Thank you
Les

Probably not the first Pelican caught at a strip club.:D

Sorry, I can't actually help in any way.

Les,

I have made that flight hundreds of times. Not sure that most people realize how far we are talking about here.

Going from Gander to say Boston is over 800 miles, and not something that a Cessna or Piper is going to make easily.

This is going to take a very sympathetic airline or private business jet with three empty seats and thats going to be tough to find.

Joe A

This pelican went very far out of its way to see some canadian booty. :D
All I can suggest now is that he joins a flock of canadian geese going down south ;)
Sorry I do not own an airplane.

Joe,

Thanks for responding.
Actually, the bird is in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Halifax is about 500 miles from Boston, Gander is more like 1100 miles.

Still, if anyone is passing through and has room..
I should mention I have no connection with either Hope For Wildlife, (although I have been there) nor am I indebted to this Pelican in any way.
Thanks Guys.
Les

I wish I were flying more these days... :(

That's a heck of a jaunt as Joe said, even so. Plus it's winter, so the windows of opportunity for light GA guys are limited - if it's anything other than "severe clear" I don't like venturing up at this time of year due to the potential for icing (and I've got an Instrument ticket with a ton of IFR time, etc. - it doesn't matter, icing is not something you want to F around with) A long x/c flight like that in the winter months would be a hit-or-miss game to plan out and execute without the potential for running into something that might make life really exciting (not in a good way) in a light aircraft.

That said - today is really nice (albeit a bit cold and windy). So there are windows of opportunity, but I don't really have the cash on hand to go buy myself 15-20 hours of PA28 time at $100+ an hour right now to save a bird either (April 15 is coming and with it, a nice phat check I have to write to Uncle Sam). Sorry. I'd be willing to chip in a few bucks or whatever... or if people wanted to start a collection to fund the cost of flying up there maybe...

I'm not familiar with the area but is it possible to some how get the bird closer to the border?

Kinda funny if you think about we have mexican's by the thousands coming across the border. Tons of drugs on a daily basis coming across the borders and they wont let one away bird across?

Isnt it an American Citizen? Take it to the Embassy.

This is a joke, right?

Sammy,

Sorry, no joke.

In the great scheme of things a single pelican probably doesn't mean much. However, given the news story developed in (more or less) my back yard and the unhelpful way the US Customs & Immigration folks are handling this at Stanfield Int. at Halifax, I thought there might be some way some person who is either a member or lurks here might be in a position to help.

Thanks again for reading.
Les

despite the distance, it could also be done as a relay if animal care centers along the way could be found

good luck!

I just find it hard to understand how people can rationalize spending $4500 an hour for a private jet to burn over a thousand of gallons of fuel per hour, dumping tons of "earth killing"carbon into the atmosphere, to save one bird who's greatest claim to fame is crapping all over boats and docks and covering everything in it's path with disease ridden filth, while that same amount of money could be used to immediately save the lives of hundreds of dogs and cats that can make a huge difference in people's lives, and that otherwise will be killed.
Obviously not very many here have spent time sailing in areas frequented by pelicans.
Nasty birds that poop like you can't imagine. Even this website allegedly got it's name due to the pelican's ability to cover things with it's filth.

It's too irrational to comprehend. Spend all that time, money, and effort to transport one bird across a country to a "sanctuary" when the same money could make such a huge difference to so many, all so a few people can get their "my life matters" fix.

I understand the good intentions, it's just that they are so misguided.

I think he needs to take the Ferry.

+1 Sammy.
Mabye it's the parf, but I like Boobies more at this time Galapagos Birding - Boobies

the bird and handlers would almost certainly be using empty seats/space on a flight that will be made regardless - incremental cost of that add'l wt. is small & some people like animals

speaking of spewing filth sammy! WTF is wrong with you?

Good News,

A local fellow is making a three day drive to North Carolina in a panel van (with a wading pool) in the back so Ralph will get back to his own kind.

It seems ironic, in light of the questions Sammy raised regarding expense and carbon footprint that if a ride could have been found on an existing flight the 'footprint' for transporting this bird would have been a lot smaller than it will be in the van.

However, Ralph is getting around like all good Pelicans: on wheels!

Thanks for your support for Ralph (and watch out for Canadian strip clubs!)

LesSmileWavy

Huh, they have strip clubs in Nova Scotia?

Duhhhh...Canada is known for it's beaver. :p