Dalmatian pelican perched on the back of an adult male kayaker near a coastal area with water and mountains in the background under clear sky, midday or early afternoon during summer or spring.

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Rescued pelican takes fishing lessons from a man

Name: Rescued pelican takes fishing lessons from a man
Uploaded: 2015-11-04T17:16:09Z
Duration: 3 min 7 s
Description: Great white pelicans usually hunt together, the whole flock at once. Big Bird, a rescued great white pelican, is learning to fish from a safari caretaker named Jeffrey instead.

Great white pelicans usually hunt together, the whole flock at once. Big Bird, a rescued great white pelican, is learning to fish from a safari caretaker named Jeffrey instead. more

When Jeffrey found him, he took the bird in to make sure he would be all right. Big Bird never picked up the basics from other pelicans, so the lessons fell to Jeffrey. That meant fishing and, of all things, flying.

A large bird with a pale beak and dark eyes looks straight at the camera, with thick trees in the background. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third. — Big Bird never learned to fish from other pelicans, so Jeffrey took on the job.

Going without a flock is hard on this kind of pelican. Hunting in a flock is how they succeed, and a bird on his own will struggle to catch enough fish to survive.

So Big Bird has made do. He has adopted the camp as his flock, and he sticks close to Jeffrey.

The staff came up with a new method just for him. They spend time with him in the water, swimming and diving, so he can learn to catch fish all by himself. It hasn't been easy, and nobody is giving up.

Jeffrey also takes him out kayaking. Sometimes the big white pelican rides on top of Jeffrey's head, wings spread wide, like the least practical hat on earth. Other times Big Bird drags his bill through the water, hoping a fish will swim in. “He’s very optimistic,” Jeffrey says.

A man paddles a small boat while a large white pelican stands on his head with wings spread. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third. — Out on the water, Big Bird perches on Jeffrey's head with his wings out.

By now Big Bird is quite used to the water. And then he does it. “I think you got one,” Jeffrey says. “Oh, yeah, you did. Oh, good boy.”

Big Bird isn't a pet, though. He is a wild bird, and the lessons are meant to end with him back out there, safe and fishing for himself. Until then, his flock is a safari camp and a man in a kayak.

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