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Show time: film-industry birds evacuated to O.C.

September 1st, 2009, 11:20 am · 8 Comments · posted by

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Four exotic birds, including one that appeared in the film “Evan Almighty,” were evacuated to Huntington Beach this week from a film-industry animal ranch threatened by wildfire. exoticss

The four birds were doing well Tuesday at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center, including “Ethyl,” an African pink-backed pelican that appeared in “Evan Almighty” and is 18 years old. The other birds were two African great white pelicans named Ricky and Lucy, and Stella, a European white stork.

“They were very stressed out and hadn’t eaten in two days,” wildlife director Debbie McGuire said, when the birds arrived on Monday after a long ride from a ranch called A2Z Animals in Acton.

But all were in good health Tuesday.

“They all ate their breakfast,” McGuire said. “We just worry about them. They’re celebrities.”

The 155-acre ranch is home to a variety of exotic animals, many used in films, including elephants, rhinoceroses, monkeys, lions, tigers, bears, along with domestic livestock.

And the instincts of the ranch’s president, Hayden Rosenaur, to evacuate all the animals turned out to be dead on.

“We got charred up, burned up, pretty bad,” he said Tuesday.

Barns, fences, tractors and other equipment were burned; only a small cabin Rosenaur uses for living quarters was spared.

“We actually got trapped in the house,” he said. “We had to ride it out.”

All the animals were safely evacuated to a variety of shelters, he said.

“That made me happy,” he said. “No animals were injured. That was the important thing.”

The fire still raged Tuesday, and Rosenaur said he now faces the difficult task of rebuilding the ranch.

“It’s a pretty devastating blow for us, but we’ll survive,” he said.

Ethyl, who threw up her food Monday night but was eating fine Tuesday, also has a Hannah Montana appearance and commercials on her resume.

The other pelicans were only in one film, “Zohan” with Adam Sandler, while the stork is still looking for work.

Rosenaur said he thought of McGuire and the Huntington Beach care center immediately when he needed a place to house the birds.

“She knows what she’s doing,” he said. “My animals are in good hands.”

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     8 Comments

    • JB says:

      By the title of this article I thought I’d be reading about porno-birds. Maybe “Exotic Birds Used In Film Industry” would’ve been a better choice.

    • 22fancy says:

      Bless the loves! AND the people who love and protect them! =)

    • Paula says:

      JB, I thought the same. How about “film industry exotic birds”…

    • dafne says:

      ME THREE

    • ocnewswatcher says:

      I feel baited and switched.. makes me wanna give someone the bird..

    • MrT4Prez says:

      My 10 year-old nephew could’ve written a better headline than this one.

    • Debbie says:

      Anyone that wants to help, please send in donations so that we can continue to help the fire victims. Please go to our website at http://www.wwccoc.org. Stella the Stork, and Lucy, Ricky, & Ethyl the pelicans are stable and recooperating from their ordeal. Debbie McGuire, Wildlife Director, Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center (714) 374-5587

    • Debbie says:

      The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center is proud to be of assistance to all wildlife and exotic birds that need sheltering from this horrible fire. We need help to keep on helping. So if you can donate to the cause, please visit our website at http://www.wwccoc.org. Thank you to all of our supporters who make what we do possible.
      Debbie McGuire, Wildlife Director, Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center, 21900 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, CA 92646 (714) 374-5587

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