$10,000 reward offered after hundreds of baby terns wash up dead

The team discovered 300-500 baby terns, some only a day old, dead in the surf and littered across the beach. More than a dozen live baby terns were found and rushed to intensive care at IBRRC’s center in San Pedro. Fish & Wildlife and the Coast Guard also responded and are trying to determine if the baby birds were forced off a barge, located in the Los Angeles Harbor. The birds are protected by Federal Migratory bird laws, animal cruelty is a felony in California, and if this act was intentionally human caused, it is a serious crime.

IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare – www.ifaw.org) has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of anyone involved in the incident.
 
Approximately 2,000 Elegant and Caspian terns nest in a breeding colony near Long Beach. The colony is a tourist attraction in the area and known for its status as the northern-most colony of terns. Terns are migratory birds that winter in Central and South America and breed mostly on small islands off the coast of Baja California.

The dead birds were all less than a month old and appeared free of disease. IFAW has also offered $5,000 for the care and rehabilitation of rescued terns. IFAW and IBRRC work closely in partnership responding to oil spills and other disasters that affect animals around the world.