Pueblo residents save injured pelican stranded for two months on Arkansas River

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- A pelican is safe after spending two months stranded on the Arkansas River with a broken wing. Residents who had their heartstrings pulled by the injured bird managed to rescue the pelican to safety.

Javier Quinones is a birder and wildlife photographer. Almost every day, he and his parents visit Lake Pueblo State Park. Quinones said that's when he first spotted the pelican.

Quinones tells KRDO he went to animal experts who told him they already tried to catch the Pelican and couldn't do anything.

That's when he decided to put a call out on Facebook for help. Eventually, one of his friends, a former Navy rescue diver, agreed to take out his canoe and help catch the bird.

"It was no easy task by any means. He did flee, I could see why they had trouble capturing him. It took about 45 minutes to finally get it, but he got him on land, netted him up, and put him under his arm. He said he was really, really weak and didn’t give any fight," said Quinones.

They took the pelican to the Nature and Raptor Center in Pueblo. The pelican was on its own for so long that her wing didn't heal correctly, it may never fly again.

Quinones says they are still waiting to hear what the next steps for the pelican are.

Now, he's using this rescue mission as a call to action. He and a few other volunteers in Pueblo are forming a rescue team so if something like this happens again they'll be there to help.