Brown pelicans: Precarious recovery of a ravaged species

The heavy use of DDT during World War II has lead to the brown pelican's endangerment. Today, there is still danger for the pelicans from DDT that is trapped in sediment until storms or dredging release it. Trudy Belz protects and cares for wild birds that are endangered and injured. Belz has gained her knowledge of caring for such endangered species by taking classes and attending workshops. DDT is still a major threat to these birds but pollutants such as heavy metals, habitat loss, destruction, fire ants, raccoons, coyotes, wild cats and dogs are new factors that are making their come back from endangerment difficult. DDT and DDE are extremely toxic substances that start contaminating species at the top of the food chain and inhibit their reproduction. Pelicans have also been threatened by fishermen who viewed them as competition. The importance of awareness to the general public is emphasized along with importance of protecting these species.