Leela · Ambassador Brown Pelican
In May 2023, a one-year-old brown pelican arrived at SFWC in critical condition. She had fishing hooks and line embedded in her abdomen, a line wrapped tightly around her leg that restricted blood flow and caused her to limp, and a severely injured right eye she couldn’t see out of.
After multiple surgeries to remove internal hooks and ongoing physical therapy for her leg, her eye still showed no signs of healing. Despite months of daily treatments and ophthalmic exams, a positive test for MRSA made enucleation—the removal of the eye—her only chance at survival.
Because pelicans rely on binocular vision to hunt, this life-saving procedure meant she could no longer return to the wild. That’s when PHSS stepped in, offering her a permanent home. On January 9th, 2024, she officially joined the flock.
We named her Leela, in honor of the one-eyed space captain from Futurama—a tough, resilient spirit who’s now thriving in her new role as an ambassador for wildlife rehabilitation.
Adopt today and you’ll be directly supporting Leela and our other pelicans’ food and veterinary care.
Your Adopt-a-Pelican package from Pelican Harbor Seabird Station Includes:
An 8” x 10” photograph of your adopted pelican
A copy of your pelican’s story
A certificate of adoption
An invitation to see your pelican at the PHSS facility
Tax-exempt donation receipt letter
The honor of knowing you’ve helped to feed a pelican for a year!
