Byron Bay fishermen come to the rescue of a very hungry pelican

Scott Towers was enjoying family breakfast when his wife asked him about mullets.

“My son and I started describing a hairdo,” he laughs.

“Then she showed me the Facebook page for the wildlife hospital.”

The Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital had put out a desperate call for fish, particularly mullet, to feed a sick, underweight pelican in its care.

The pelican had injured its foot, likely from getting tangled in fishing line.

Fishermen and pelicans are often in competition but that didn’t stop Scott from coming to the rescue.

“I had to find some mullet. I know some people at the fish shop, so I went over there and asked the boss to go halves with me,” the recreational fisherman said.

“He didn’t bat an eyelid. Whatever I bought, they chucked in the same and I took it all here to the hospital and I got to see the pelican up close. He looks a lot better than when he first arrived.”

The sick bird has been nicknamed “Peli” by senior vet Bree Talbot, who was the first to assess the pelican’s condition at the Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital.

“The pelican came to us earlier in the week after being found around the beach. It was limping and couldn’t move far so it was getting stressed because kids were getting too close,” she said.

“We found that it had a broken toe, which is quite painful for these guys.”

Peli will need a week in hospital to recover but there is one problem: his appetite.

“He’s very hungry. Pelicans eat a lot. They can eat up to 20 or 30 per cent of their body weight per day,” Dr Talbot said.

“That is about 2 kilos of fish each day and even more while he’s healing.”

“We hoped there would be some fishermen who were willing to help, so we put out a call.

The fishing community of Byron Bay did not disappoint, with deliveries of mullet arriving throughout the day — much to the gratitude of Dr Talbot.

“It’s been amazing,” she said.

“We’re so fortunate to have such a loving community that is willing to help us. We’re so proud to be part of this community and have them help us.”

Scott Towers said it was a win-win situation for him.

“It’s a great feeling because it’s for a good cause, especially when I get to see the poor little thing up close,” he said.

“It is good to know that you’re making a difference.”