next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects
This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0006_01CBCFB0.130E5050 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit To get home, Ralph the pelican must rely on kindness of strangers By EVA HOARE Staff Reporter Fri, Feb 18, 2011 Anything to declare? “Yes, a pelican named Ralph.” That might be how a wayward pelican that blew into Dartmouth during hurricane Earl last fall will be greeted if his caretakers are able to get a private jet to ferry the bird to an American sanctuary. After getting Ralph, named for the strip club he landed near in early September, into a rehabilitation sanctuary in North Carolina, Hope for Wildlife workers have now learned they can’t fly him there on a commercial plane. That’s because there’s no U.S. pre-clearance staffer here qualified to let the brown pelican into the U.S., said Allison Dube, who works with Hope for Wildlife. Ralph’s been staying in a barn at the Seaforth facility since he arrived. So now the group’s staffers are asking for someone with a private jet to help, Dube said. “In order to send Ralph on a commercial flight, he has to go through a pre-clearance with U.S. Fish and Wildlife,” she said in an interview Friday. “Apparently there’s no officer in Halifax to do that process.” When asked what needed to be done to allow Ralph to leave, Dube jokingly said, “Look at it and say it’s a pelican, I’m not really sure!” But Ralph can be properly “declared” if he arrives stateside in a private plane, she said. “We’re really hoping someone out there with a kind heart and a private jet to help us out.” If someone or a business agrees to do it, Ralph will fly to a specified port of entry with two Hope for Wildlife workers to ensure he’s properly cared for in-flight, said Dube. The staffers will then take him to the rehabilitation centre in North Carolina, she said. Nova Scotia’s Natural Resources Department has already issued the required export paperwork, so once he disembarks, Ralph will be back in an environment that’s best for him, said Dube. While there was another pelican who also got blown off course in the early part of this decade, that bird was quickly transported to a care facility in the U.S. But this time, there’s more paperwork, she said. “It was about two weeks, that was it.” This landed immigrant is proving to be a good guest despite his lengthy stay, she said. “He’s doing well. He’s eating consistently. He has his bath every day. “He’s not standoffish,” said Dube. “In the morning when we open (his cage), he usually wants to come into the main barn area and has a flap. He really likes to stretch.” Ralph has enjoyed a daily diet of herring and can lie under a heat lamp on colder days. The heat lamp is always on for him, though, she said. “We’ll miss him because he’s been quite a treat to have here,” said Dube. “It would be nice to get him home.” ------=_NextPart_000_0006_01CBCFB0.130E5050 Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable =EF=BB=BF<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Dutf-8" http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META name=3DGENERATOR content=3D"MSHTML 8.00.6001.19019"> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY background=3D"" bgColor=3D#ffffff><FONT face=3D"Times New = Roman"><FONT size=3D2>To=20 get home, Ralph the pelican must rely on kindness of strangers<BR><BR>By = EVA=20 HOARE Staff Reporter<BR>Fri, Feb 18, 2011 <BR><BR>Anything to declare? = =E2=80=9CYes, a=20 pelican named Ralph.=E2=80=9D<BR><BR>That might be how a wayward pelican = that blew into=20 Dartmouth during hurricane Earl last fall will be greeted if his = caretakers are=20 able to get a private jet to ferry the bird to an American=20 sanctuary.<BR><BR>After getting Ralph, named for the strip club he = landed near=20 in early September, into a rehabilitation sanctuary in North Carolina, = Hope for=20 Wildlife workers have now learned they can=E2=80=99t fly him there on a = commercial=20 plane. <BR><BR>That=E2=80=99s because there=E2=80=99s no U.S. = pre-clearance staffer here=20 qualified to let the brown pelican into the U.S., said Allison Dube, who = works=20 with Hope for Wildlife. Ralph=E2=80=99s been staying in a barn at the = Seaforth facility=20 since he arrived.<BR><BR>So now the group=E2=80=99s staffers are asking = for someone with=20 a private jet to help, Dube said.<BR><BR>=E2=80=9CIn order to send Ralph = on a commercial=20 flight, he has to go through a pre-clearance with U.S. Fish and = Wildlife,=E2=80=9D she=20 said in an interview Friday. <BR><BR>=E2=80=9CApparently there=E2=80=99s = no officer in Halifax=20 to do that process.=E2=80=9D<BR><BR>When asked what needed to be done to = allow Ralph to=20 leave, Dube jokingly said, =E2=80=9CLook at it and say it=E2=80=99s a = pelican, I=E2=80=99m not really=20 sure!=E2=80=9D<BR><BR>But Ralph can be properly = =E2=80=9Cdeclared=E2=80=9D if he arrives stateside in a=20 private plane, she said. =E2=80=9CWe=E2=80=99re really hoping someone = out there with a kind=20 heart and a private jet to help us out.=E2=80=9D<BR><BR>If someone or a = business agrees=20 to do it, Ralph will fly to a specified port of entry with two Hope for = Wildlife=20 workers to ensure he=E2=80=99s properly cared for in-flight, said = Dube.<BR><BR>The=20 staffers will then take him to the rehabilitation centre in North = Carolina, she=20 said.<BR><BR>Nova Scotia=E2=80=99s Natural Resources Department has = already issued the=20 required export paperwork, so once he disembarks, Ralph will be back in = an=20 environment that=E2=80=99s best for him, said Dube.<BR><BR>While there = was another=20 pelican who also got blown off course in the early part of this decade, = that=20 bird was quickly transported to a care facility in the U.S. But this = time,=20 there=E2=80=99s more paperwork, she said.<BR><BR>=E2=80=9CIt was about = two weeks, that was=20 it.=E2=80=9D<BR><BR>This landed immigrant is proving to be a good guest = despite his=20 lengthy stay, she said.<BR><BR>=E2=80=9CHe=E2=80=99s doing well. = He=E2=80=99s eating consistently. He=20 has his bath every day.<BR><BR>=E2=80=9CHe=E2=80=99s not = standoffish,=E2=80=9D said Dube. =E2=80=9CIn the=20 morning when we open (his cage), he usually wants to come into the main = barn=20 area and has a flap. He really likes to stretch.=E2=80=9D<BR><BR>Ralph = has enjoyed a=20 daily diet of herring and can lie under a heat lamp on colder days. The = heat=20 lamp is always on for him, though, she = said.<BR><BR>=E2=80=9CWe=E2=80=99ll miss him because he=E2=80=99s=20 been quite a treat to have here,=E2=80=9D said Dube. =E2=80=9CIt would = be nice to get him=20 home.=E2=80=9D<BR></FONT> </FONT></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0006_01CBCFB0.130E5050--
next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects