You, Pelican, Thank Us Later

Brown pelicans to be removed from endangered species list

Posted at 6:42 AM on 11 Feb 2008

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it will remove brown pelicans from the endangered species list within a year. Brown pelicans have been listed as endangered since 1970, even before the Endangered Species Act was born, due to the effects of the ultra-toxic pesticide DDT that thinned their eggshells, causing rapid population decline. But since the ban on DDT in the United States in 1972, the bird has gradually rebounded. "We are always nervous about these things because we like to have a crutch to sit on. Oil spills, overfishing, any of these things could be a threat to pelicans in the future," said Greg Butcher of the National Audubon Society. "But it makes total sense to recognize the gains we have made since the ban of DDT." Eagles in the Lower 48 states were delisted last year for similar reasons.

sources:  Los Angeles Times, The Union-Tribune, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [PDF]