Injured Pelican Knocks On Door Of A Marine Research Facility In Florida To Get The Treatment It Needed

The vast majority of wild animals have no choice but to let nature take its course when they’re injured. However, one pelican in Florida decided to take matters into its own hands before surprising some marine biologists who provided the treatment it needed after it literally knocked on the door of their building.

Ravens and crows are probably the first birds that spring to mind when it comes to impressive intelligence. There’s evidence that suggests corvids have the problem-solving skills of a seven-year-old human, and the internet is filled with videos of people who’ve managed to befriend the flying creatures by trading gifts that those animals seem to genuinely appreciate.

You also can’t talk about smart birds without discussing the parrots who can mimic human speech, and while pelicans may not have the same kind of reputation as those aforementioned species, some people who’ve spent time studying them don’t think they get the credit they deserve.

However, they may have gotten a big boost on that front courtesy of one that showed up at a research facility in Florida in search of some assistance.

Marine biologists in Florida helped an injured pelican that waited for them to respond after knocking on their door

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration operates a Fisheries Science Center in Panama City, Florida, which is staffed with scientists and researchers who are primarily concerned with animals that swim in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

However, according to The Washington Post, they found themselves tending to one that flies over them when they received a visit from an unexpected visitor earlier this month.

A marine biologist who was working inside the building on September 8th heard tapping coming from the back door of the building, and they encountered a brown pelican that was patiently waiting outside when they went to investigate.

They were able to determine the pelican was in need of some help after spotting fishing line wrapped around its right wing, and employees came together to conduct an approximately five-minute operation in which they cut it off, removed the three-pronged lure that was hooked into the bird, and yanked out around a dozen cactus spines from its foot.

It’s believed the pelican walked around a quarter mile from a basin in the nearby St. Andrew Bay to get to the facility, and it managed to fly away after being returned there when the procedure was completed.

There’s no way to know why it decided to show up at the building in the first place, although one expert posited it had previously seen fish being moved around by researchers and arrived in search of a meal. It would also be nice to think it purposefully knocked on the door, but it may have been under the impression that its reflection was another pelican.

Regardless of its motivations, it’s good to know things worked out in the end.