FOR A GOOD CAUSE -- Kelly Beavers

Story by Deepa Bharath; photo by [tk]

They make her car smell like 10 pounds of fish for three whole days.

But Kelly Beavers loves the big white and brown pelicans -- birds with

an attitude, she calls them. When Beavers, a volunteer at the Wetlands

and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, first sees these birds,

they are half dead.

They are frequently affected by botulism -- a bacterial infection

caused by algae bloom. Fish are first infected, and pelicans become

recipients of the bacteria when they eat the fish.

The disease makes them appear dead. Their eyes don’t blink, and their

heads are flat on the ground. But after two weeks of Pedialyte and tender

loving care, the birds gradually get back in action.

And that’s the fun part for Beavers, 41, who loads them up in dog

crates on the back of her red Ford truck and releases them in the Seal

Beach Reserve.

“When I see them leave the dog crates and fly away, it’s just a great,

great feeling,” Beavers said.

She has been volunteering at the center for only two years now, but

says she has learned a lot about wild animals and continues to learn

something new every day.

She works close to 15 hours a week at the center despite her hectic

schedule as a homemaker and mother of three.

Beavers recently took a temporary position with All Creatures Care

Cottage, an animal hospital in Costa Mesa, where she works three days a

week.

It is something that started as a hobby and blossomed into a passion,

she said. She has taken several classes and courses on the subject, which

she says have helped broaden her knowledge and enhance her performance as

someone who cares for native wildlife.

There are, however, many challenges to the job, Beavers said.

“It’s hard work,” she said. “It’s smelly. It involves cleaning cages

and giving the animals medication. Every time you come out of the center,

you’re sweating because it is hard work.”

Another challenge is to identify an injured or sick animal brought in

by the state Department of Fish and Game.

“I usually can’t wait to see what’s in the box,” she said. “A lot of

times, it’s something new. It’s exciting and interesting.”

Once she identifies the species, Beavers examines the animal and tries

to figure out the nature of the sickness or injury and then gives the

animal the appropriate medication.

The satisfaction, of course, comes from the fact that all the hard

work on her part and suffering on the animals’ part is not in vain.

“Most of them do recover and are released,” she said. “And that makes

you feel so good.”