Every year, approximately 75,000 great white pelicans undertake an extensive migration from Eastern Europe to East Africa, making a crucial stopover in Israel. However, this has caused concerns for local fish farmers as the pelicans consume large amounts of fish, leading to financial losses. What could be done?

You could say that pelicans are an unusual-looking species of bird. They have long beaks and a large throat pouch they use for catching fish. Every year, about 75,000 great white pelicans fly from Eastern Europe’s cold winter to East Africa, where they spend the summer. It’s a long journey and it’s necessary to make a few stops along the way. The main stop is in Israel, where pelicans sometimes rest for several weeks. This stopover has been causing local fish farmers a considerable amount of concern.

The great white pelican is a huge bird. It can weigh up to 15 kilos and it’s about 180 centimetres long. Its wingspan is double that! It’s the largest bird in the world to make such a long migration. Its diet is mainly fish and it eats about 1.4 kilos each day. Pelicans have been known to fly up to 100 kilometres in search of food.

These pelicans are extremely social and love to gather in large numbers. Until recent years, Israel had plenty of water supplies where the pelicans could rest and feed. Frequently, the pelicans arrive in Israel exhausted. They cannot continue their long journey until they have rested – and have eaten large amounts of fish. However, for a variety of reasons, these water supplies have dried up. The pelicans have had to find alternative food sources.

Fish farming has become a big business in Israel. As you may imagine, a fish farm is something pelicans could usually only dream of – a pelican paradise! In the summer months when the great white pelicans passed through, Israel’s fish farmers began to lose tons of fish. Some farms were even forced to close their business. Something had to be done.

The Israeli Ministry of Agriculture considered the problem carefully. How could it stop 75,000 huge pelicans from arriving in Israel? It decided this was not possible. It selected a reservoir with a plentiful supply of water and provided funding for local farmers to purchase food, which they fed to the pelicans. The pelicans soon understood this and now arrive at the reservoir to feed and rest. They no longer have to rely on the fish farms for sustenance.

It’s a solution that seems to have worked. At one point, it looked as if the Ministry would stop the funding. One criticism was that with so much food, the pelicans would never leave and would become even more expensive. However, such an outcry was raised by environmentalists and farmers that the funding remains.

The great white pelicans can now continue their long migration, rested and fed. Perhaps their large numbers in Israel will attract bird watchers from all over the world to witness the amazing sight, and tourism can bring new income to the country!

Question:

Watch the pelicans descend on Israel

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