Rescued Injured Pelican Becomes Regular At Marina Restaurant

October 3, 2020

A grateful pelican keeps visiting the man who saved his life.

Omar El Oud was out fishing when he spotted a stranded pelican in serious need of help.

"When we first rescued Ovi, he was bleeding from a cut on his leg and we realized his flight feathers were gone, as well as him being really dirty," El Oud told The Dodo. "We later discovered he had a fever."

With the help of the wildlife rehabilitation group Lebanese Wildlife, they were able to nurse Ovi back to health.

Now, Ovi is a regular at Corniche Promenade, a restaurant in central Beirut managed by El Oud's father, Ali. The staff feed Ovi several kilograms of fresh fish every day.

"It eats only a certain type of fish, which is a white fish, and if you feed it with another type, it tastes the fish and throws it to the ground," El Oud said.