|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Penny the American White Pelican found a new home for the holidays in Miami thanks to the combined efforts of dozens of good samaritans between four cities and two countries.
Her story began in late August 2023 in Shuniah, Ontario, Canada where the Bissonnette Family was surprised to find a large pelican standing on their back porch.
“We’re finishing dinner, and I look up to one of our doorways, and she is right there, looking in at us,” Deb Bissonnette said. “We couldn’t quite believe it; we all went to the door, and she didn’t shy away from us. She did not look well, and of course, our instinct was to give her food.”
The young pelican was injured, weak, and filled with parasites. Deb Bissonnette immediately contacted a local bird rescue who came by to examine the bird and administer an antiparasitic. For five weeks, the young pelican, whom the family named Penny, stuck around while she regained her strength thanks to fresh fish fillets and daily swims in the lake.
But as winter approached, it appeared that Penny was too habituated to humans to have the proper instincts to migrate. Unable to survive the harsh Canadian winter alone, the Bissonnettes contacted Turtle Pond Wildlife Centre in Sudbury, Ontario, which agreed to house Penny for the winter. But there was one caveat, Sudbury is a 13-hour drive from Shuniah.
With help from local Don Smith, Bear Skin Airlines generously agreed to cover Penny’s flight, and she arrived at Turtle Pond on Oct. 12, where it was confirmed that she was unreleasable. Unfortunately, Turtle Pond did not have the proper facility to house a pelican long-term. This meant that unless Penny found a forever home, she would have to be humanely euthanized. Penny remained at Turtle Pond for two months while an appropriate center was found.
That is when the team at Turtle Pond reached out to wildlife rehabilitation center Pelican Harbor Seabird Station (PHSS) in Miami. After speaking with Turtle Pond, the team at PHSS decided that Penny would be a perfect addition to their ambassador pelican flock. Once Penny received a clean bill of health, a plan was formulated to get Penny from Ontario to Miami.
After much deliberation, the staff at Turtle Pond graciously offered to drive Penny the nine hours from Sudbury to the U.S. border, where she would then pass through customs to board a Delta cargo flight from Detroit to Miami. Penny arrived at Miami International Airport at 9:15 p.m. on Dec. 15, where PHSS Clinic manager Yaritza Acosta and volunteer Neil Krasner were waiting to bring her to her forever home.
This miraculous story is the result of dozens of selfless human beings who worked toward the common goal of saving this single pelican. PHSS is welcoming Penny to the flock, where she is quickly fitting in with their other ambassadors.
For more information, visit pelicanharbor.org.
ABOUT US:
For more Miami community news, look no further than Miami Community Newspapers. This Miami online group of newspapers covers a variety of topics about the local community and beyond. Miami’s Community Newspapers offers daily news, online resources, podcasts and other multimedia content to keep readers informed. With topics ranging from local news to community events, Miami’s Community Newspapers is the ideal source for staying up to date with the latest news and happenings in the area.
This family-owned media company publishes more than a dozen neighborhood publications, magazines, special sections on their websites, newsletters, as well as distributing them in print throughout Miami Dade County from Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Brickell, Coconut Grove, Pinecrest, South Miami, Kendall, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay and Homestead. Each online publication and print editions provide comprehensive coverage of local news, events, business updates, lifestyle features, and local initiatives within its respective community.
Additionally, the newspaper has exclusive Miami community podcasts, providing listeners with an in-depth look into Miami’s culture. Whether you’re looking for local Miami news, or podcasts, Miami’s Community Newspapers has you covered. For more information, be sure to check out: https://communitynewspapers.com.
If you have any questions, feel free to email Michael@communitynewspapers.com or Grant@communitynewspapers.com.
