A Rigid Blue Ring on the Shore
The brown pelican tucked its webbed feet tightly underneath its body, pressing its belly flat against the coarse, black volcanic rocks as ocean surf churned behind it. Its long, pale beak pointed straight down between two boulders, locked shut by a thick blue plastic bottle collar wedged firmly near the base of its eyes.
A man walked slowly across the uneven ledge, stepping barefoot over the dark volcanic stones to close the distance. He dropped to one knee, lowering his center of gravity against the spray of the crashing waves.
The bird shifted slightly, blinking a pale blue eye, but kept its neck tucked close against its mottled brown feathers.
Hands on the Pouch
The man reached forward, extending his right hand slowly until his fingertips rested on the smooth crown of the pelican’s head. His left hand wrapped carefully around the underside of the long bill, steadying the bird’s jaw against the rocks.
The bird did not thrash or pull back. It let out a low, muffled breath as the man pulled a pair of heavy red-handled pliers from his side.
Metal jaws opened wide, closing in on the stiff blue plastic. The textured teeth of the pliers pressed against the ridged plastic ring, mere millimeters from the bird’s soft pink pouch and sensitive facial skin.
With a firm squeeze of the handles, the hardened plastic gave way, snapping completely in half with a crisp, audible crunch.
Wings Over the Whitecaps
The man peeled the broken band free, pulling the remaining plastic clear of the feathers and tossing it safely away from the surf. The pelican remained resting on the rock for just a second, testing the sudden freedom of its upper and lower bills.
It opened its enormous beak wide, stretching the pale pink pouch until the lining pulled taut, clicking its bill shut twice with hollow snaps.
The large bird stood up on its pale webbed feet, turning toward the edge of the dark stone shelf. It stretched both enormous grey wings straight outward, catching the ocean breeze, and hopped into the air.
With two slow, heavy wingbeats, the pelican glided low over the frothing white water, banking smoothly across the rolling blue waves.
@animal.by.muzamil Man Saves Pelican Trapped By Plastic On The Ocean Rocks #animals #bird
♬ original sound – Animal By Muzamil Rescue – Animal By Muzamil Rescue
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