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AVALON, CATALINA ISLAND - "Good Time Charlie" was having a bad day. Charlie, a brown pelican who frequented the mole in Avalon, had for reasons unknown - perhaps trying to free himself from a tangle of fishing line - suffered a compound fracture of his wing. His other wing was deformed at birth.
Grounded, the young pelican scrambled around the concrete dock, and in doing so severely ulcerated his feet and broke his nails. Fishermen on the pier would throw Charlie an occasional fish, but the wounded bird wasn't getting any better.
Debbie Avellana, owner of Debbie's Island Deli at the hub of the mole, keeps a wary eye out for animals in distress and knows the dangers of discarded fishing line on the pier. When she noticed Charlie with a matted patch of blood on his chest, she knew something was wrong. The blood was from the pelican's feet, staining its chest when it lay down to rest.
In Avalon, there is only one place to take an injured or sick animal, and that's to Richard and Anney Denney. No one on the Island need to be told how often Dr. Denney and his wife and assistant Anney have come to the aid of Island animals - including on at least one occasion - a bison. Avellana knew that Good Time Charlie was going to be in good hands.
"We see pelicans on a regular basis," said Dr. Denney, who had practiced veterinarian medicine in Texas for 30 years before coming to the Island about three years ago. "We get injured beaks, broken wings, legs tangled in fishing lines, and hooks caught in their esophagus. By the time we get to them, they have been tangled up for so long; we often have to put them to sleep."
But fortunately, for Charlie, this wasn't the case.
Dr. Denney had to perform surgery on the bird's wing which would require anesthesia. However the mask he would normally use the cover the face of a dog, cat or just about any other animal would not fit Charlie's long beak. So, he improvised. "I got a three foot section of PVC pipe and fitted both ends with padding. One end of the pipe went over the bird's beak, and the other end was fitted to a hose connected to the gas. Once Charlie was asleep, Dr. Denny was able to place a rubber catheter down the pelican's trachea to keep him asleep. The surgery was a wonderful success.
It took several weeks of care, but Charlie emerged from the Denney's care with a healed wing and healed feet. And while Dr. Denney was caring for Charlie, Avellana brought him another patient, this one a seagull she named Boo Boo. The bruised and battered bird was well named, in that he had a broken leg, one eye missing, and a busted beak. What happened? "We see so many animals, we have no idea how they became injured," Dr. Denney said.
With a little tender loving care, and some creative acrylic work to rebuild the bird's beak, Boo Boo, along with Good Time Charlie, were well enough to leave the Animal Hospital. Although they won't be able to fly again, the birds will have a comfortable life on the mainland as educational ambassadors at a rescue center.
Back on Catalina, Richard and Anney Denney continue the challenge of caring for Island pets and wildlife. And as for birds, the Denneys see a sick or injured one just about every week. Aside from fishermen who drop off portions of their catch to help feed them, no one picks up the tab for the life-saving care provided for lucky birds like Good Time Charlie.
Animal lovers who wish to help save injured wildlife can contribute to the Denney's work through a fund set up by the Conservancy. Checks should note "Wildlife Rescue/Animal Hospital" and be made out to the Catalina Island Conservancy.
In related news, despite the immense generosity of the Avalon community, several pieces of life-saving equipment are still needed to open the new Animal Hospital of Catalina facility. Those include a hematology machine, a serum chemistry analyzer, and a portable X-ray unit (with an ultrasound machine on the "wish list" but not as critical). Anyone who has a line on used equipment in good condition should call the clinic and speak to Dr. Denney at 1210. Tax deductible contributions to the equipment fund can be made through the Conservancy, noting "Equipment/Animal Hospital."
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