juvenile-brown-pelican-on-way-to-being-released-after-Gulf-oil-spill-recovery
"Micro-baby," the youngest brown pelican to be in processed and rehabilitated (also the longest to have stayed in the center), on a boat en route to Raccoon Island, Louisiana, on his release day. Micro was the biggest challenge to the center, as because he was so young when in processed (not even with feathers yet), he had become more habituated than all of the other brown pelicans (to the point where he was an outcast amongst the others in his aviary). There was much discussion and debate as to what would be done with Micro if he wasn't qualified for a release by the "final release" in October. If a zoo would not take him, he may have had to of been euthanized. It was decided shortly before the final release that he would be sent back into the wild. Needless to say, everyone involved with the wildlife response effort became extremely attached to Micro, and every single rehabilitator wished they could have been present on his release day. Micro was spotted back on Raccoon Island (after a early 2011 sighting in Texas), so not only is he making it, but he's getting around!