Gulf pelicans get second chance at Phoenix Zoo

PHOENIX - When six American White pelicans were released into their new exhibit at the Phoenix Zoo Monday, there was a special guest on hand to welcome them to their new home.

Logan Brown has spent the past few months raising money and awareness to help the birds and other wildlife affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Logan even got his school involved in the conservation effort by holding a fundraiser.

The pelicans arrived from the Jackson Zoo in Jackson, Mississippi, where they had been temporarily housed after being rescued from the Gulf area.

All of the birds have wing injuries that prevented them from flying away from the oil slick which means they cannot be released back into the wild.

"We are anxious to welcome them to their new home where they will have plenty of room to explore and enjoy their natural surroundings," said Dan Subaitis, Director of Animal Management for the Phoenix Zoo.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums has been working with facilities around the country to find permanent homes for the gulf animals that can no longer survive on their own.

They were housed in the Phoenix Zoo’s animal hospital for a month for quarantine before being released into the Wetlands habitat.

They share the “Swamp” with Sandhill Cranes rescued in Florida, a flock of Chilean Flamingos and Red Brocket Deer from Mexico.