Pelican in Distress Seeks Assistance at NOAA Fisheries Office
September 18, 2026
An unexpected visitor appeared at the NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center in Panama City, Florida—a pelican in need of urgent care. Employees were alerted by a unique tapping noise at the door, only to discover the bird on the doorstep, entangled in fishing line, with a fishhook embedded in its wing and cactus spines in its foot.
NOAA Fisheries Service
Fortunately, the pelican had knocked on the right door, as the center houses expert animal handlers. NOAA reported that the bird was caught in several feet of monofilament line, with a double-barbed treble hook lodged in its right wing.
The skilled team at NOAA quickly attended to the pelican, carefully snipping the hook’s barb, extracting the hook, and untangling the fishing line from its wing. They also removed the cactus spines from the foot, all while the pelican remained calm during the approximately 10-minute procedure. “It must have known it was in good hands!” the organization noted on Facebook.
NOAA Fisheries Service
After receiving a clean bill of health, the pelican was released back into the wild, free from the encumbrances of the fishing gear. Whether it intentionally sought help or arrived by chance, the pelican’s choice of location turned out to be ideal.
