It’s not often that you hear about pelicans being friendly around humans, but there is one man who is best friends with one of them. As unlikely as this might be, the man is teaching the pelican everything he needs to know in order to survive on its own because his flock left without him. Stick around for this story because it’s nothing like you’ve ever seen before.
20. Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania
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Our story starts in Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania where Jeffrey Condon found a solitary pelican. The reason why this pelican was left behind by his flock is quite heartbreaking…
19. Crazy Storm
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A crazy storm started near the waters of Lake Tanganyika and the pelican got lost from his flock. Sadly, the flock forgot about him and went on its way. On the bright side of things, Jeffrey Condon found him!
18. Jeffrey Condon
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Jeffrey Condon is the man who saved and became friends with this pelican. Jeffrey has named the pelican Bigbird and decided to teach him the necessary skills to survive on its own, now that his flock went away. Why do you think Jeffrey needed to do this?
17. Group Hunting
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Pelicans hunt and fish while in groups. They don’t know how to make it on their own. Seeing that Bigbird didn’t have anyone around to help him, he decided to teach Bigbird everything he needs to know, fishing included!
16. Hunting Skills
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Even though teaching a pelican how to fish doesn’t sound like something that’s easy to do, Jeffrey took on this challenge and started taking Bigbird on his canoe trips. Not only that, but Jeffrey is also showing Bigbird how to fish. You won’t believe how he did that!
15. Teaching Bigbird How to Fish
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“Give a man a fish and he will eat for one day, teach a man how to fish and he will eat everyday”. Who would’ve guessed that this saying also applies to pelicans? You won’t believe what Bigbird does when Jeffrey catches a fish!
14. Snack Time
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Bigbird gets excited every time Jeffrey catches a fish because he knows that means only one thing: snack time! However, Bigbird will never fish like Jeffrey does so the man also takes him underwater to show him how pelicans do it.
13. Fishing Techniques
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Even though teaching Bigbird how to fish is proving to be a difficult task, Jeffrey is not giving up on his best friend. Although, the best time these two have together is when they go out on the water. Check them out in the following photos!
12. Canoe Ride
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The one thing Bigbird loves more than eating fish is to ride around the water with Jeffrey. Just check out the next picture and see how calm he is while Jeffrey is paddling.
11. Loving the Canoe Rides
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Bigbird enjoys staying with Jeffrey, especially when they are floating around in a canoe. Although, these water rides are also beneficial for improving Bigbird’s fishing skills. See it for yourself in the next photo!
10. Looking for Fish
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Bigbird drops his beak in the water in hopes that some fish might swim in. Do you think this ever happens?
9. Catching Fish
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Jeffrey says that it’s quite rare for Bigbird to catch fish while canoeing, but what really matters is that Bigbird is very optimistic. Nonetheless, this helps him get used to diving for fish.
8. Optimistic Bird
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Just like Jeffrey previously said, Bigbird is very optimistic. This is quite important because not everyone would be optimistic anymore if their family and friends left them behind. This is why Jeffrey always makes sure that his best friend is having a great time. Keep reading to see what I am talking about.
7. Daily Canoe Rides
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Jeffrey knows that Bigbird enjoys their canoe rides and he tries to take Bigbird out on the water every day. Let’s see what they do while they’re out on the water.
6. Fishing Time
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Jeffrey is constantly trying to show Bigbird that he needs to go in the water and look for fish. You won’t believe how excited Bigbird gets every time Jeffrey catches a fish!
5. Excited!
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Bigbird gets super excited whenever Jeffrey catches a fish because he knows that fish is for him. Luckily, Bigbird is slowly but surely getting the hang of fishing.
4. Back on the Beach
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After their canoe ride ends, Jeffrey takes Bigbird back on the beach and feeds him the fish he managed to catch.
3. Solitary Bird
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It seems like Bigbird is starting to understand that he needs to fish on his own. The only issue Bigbird needs to deal with is being a solitary bird. Check out what Jeffrey has to say about this.
2. Difficult Challenge
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“As a solitary bird it’s going to be hard for Bigbird to survive on his own, it will prove to be quite a challenge”, said Jeffrey. On the bright side of things, Bigbird does manage to catch fish every now and then.
1. Survival Skills
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Jeffrey hates the fact that there is going to come a day when he will have nothing else to teach Bigbird and the pelican will fly away. Even though he will be separated from his friend, he will be happy knowing that Bigbird is able to make it on his own.