Texas Lands and Waters Aren’t the Only Things Worth Saving

When people think of the Texas General Land Office’s Oil Spill team they often think of the vast amount of land and coastal waters our team helps protect and preserve across the great state of Texas. While this is certainly true, there are many other aspects pertaining to the everyday life of the GLO’s Oil Spill team that people don’t always know about.

Monday, November 3, the GLO’s Region 3 Oil Spill division in Corpus Christi received a phone call from the Texas State Aquarium (TSA). The TSA called to notify GLO’s Oil Spill team of the discovery of 5 pelican birds that had found their way into a bilge and were subsequently oiled. Due to this event, the TSA requested the use of GLO’s Oiled Wildlife Rehabilitation Trailer to better assist and rehabilitate the pelicans that were found in the bilge of a shrimp boat.

GLO’s Region 3 Oil Spill division wasted no time in protecting our wildlife. Region 3 delivered the oiled wildlife rehabilitation trailer to TSA’s wildlife rescue facility at SeaLab. There, the Region 3 team set up everything necessary for the oiled birds to be properly cleaned. After ensuring the pelicans were rehabilitated, all 5 pelicans were successfully released back into the wild on Friday, November 8. GLO Response Officers Frank McDaniel and Daniel Davis joined Joleene Zamora of the TSA to release the birds at Indian Point Park near Portland, Texas.

After their release, the birds settled about 25 yards away to preen. Within 10 minutes, all 5 birds had flown away. Too often, oiled wildlife does not survive, so releasing all 5 birds back into the environment is a huge success story! The GLO Oil Spill team is thrilled to have been an integral part of the pelican’s rehabilitation, recovery, and release. Together, we can ensure our environment is preserved for generations to come.