Busch Wildlife to Release Rehabilitated Brown Pelican

Busch Wildlife Sanctuary will host a public release event for Patient 25-4292, a brown pelican, at Carlin Park June 11

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Patient 25-4292, a brown pelican, will be released back into the wild on June 11. Photo courtesy of Busch Wildlife Sanctuary
Patient 25-4292, a brown pelican, will be released back into the wild on June 11. Photo courtesy of Busch Wildlife Sanctuary

Busch Wildlife Sanctuary will host a public wildlife release event at Carlin Park at the The Jupiter Civic Center on June 11 at 9 a.m.

After more than 250 days in rehabilitation, a brown pelican (Patient 25-4292) that arrived at Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in September 2025 is finally ready to return to the wild. The bird was admitted in severely underweight condition and had extensive feather damage that prevented it from flying properly.

Once the pelican recovered from starvation and other medical issues, the Busch Wildlife veterinary team determined that its damaged feathers were not being replaced naturally. To encourage healthy feathers to grow, veterinarians carefully removed the damaged ones while the bird was under anesthesia. Because brown pelicans  replace their feathers every three to five years, the recovery process required months of specialized care and patience.

This remarkable patient is healthy and ready for release!

For more information, visit buschwildlife.org.

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