A mysterious epidemic of starving brown pelicans has hit Southern California, with corpses dotting the coastline and experts scratching their heads. According to a statement obtained by LAist, wildlife officials are baffled by the significant number of brown pelicans starving despite an abundance of fish, these feathered scavengers "diving but coming up empty," as Debbie McGuire, executive director of the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, put it.

With a running tally of 128 pelicans processed and only a handful still breathing, the scenario is dire, many of these migrating birds are not surviving the transport to the center "they're dead on arrival, and the others are dying really fast within the first few hours," McGuire told LAist. Worryingly, the ailing birds are not just along the beaches but are also turning up in unlikely inner-city backyards and parking lots, far from their oceanic habitats.

An inquiry by Citthe y of Huntington Beach Marine Safety Division, in collaboration with the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center, revealed the deceased pelicans are younger birds that have recently flown the coop from the Channel Islands, undergoing the rigors of their maiden voyage. As per the Center's advisory, locals are urged to contact the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center if they stumble upon injured or lifeless birds, steering clear of any direct contact.

In response to the growing crisis, the Huntington Beach-based center is scrambling to handle the rapid influx of these malnourished pelicans, devising treatments ranging from heat lamps to protein-laden "fish" shakes and IV fluids, their condition so grave that some require surgery for injuries due to entanglement in fishing gear; but McGuire told LAist, "If we can get them stable enough to get past the first two hours (after arrival) and get their body temperature up to a normal temperature, they seem to be surviving and doing a lot better."

The strain on resources is palpable, with a plea from the center detailed in the OC Register highlighting their dire need for community support amidst the mystery. In the shadow of a similar crisis two years prior, scientists are poised to perform necropsies in hopes of garnering answers, yet the cause remains elusive, the prognosis uncertain. For those willing to contribute to the care of the pelicans, information is available on the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center's website.