Red tide
poisons pelicans
WaterLine photo by Josh Olive
A flock of white pelicans flies over Charlotte Harbor.
WaterLine photo by Cara Brown
This while pelican is recovering from a bout of red tide poisoning.
By Robin Jenkins, DVM
Everyone who has been to the beach or out on the water in the past month has seen the effects of red tide. You can see all the dead fish floating on the water’s surface or washed up on the beach. You can feel the sting in your eyes or the ticklish little cough elicited by red tide’s creepy little fingers snaking down your throat.
But it’s not just fish and people that red tide gets to. Did you know red tide can poison birds?