© flickr|Dallas Krentzel
About 100 brown pelicans have been found dead in Brevard County in the past two months and officials are not sure why, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.
The birds are found emaciated and filled with parasites.
"The pelicans are emaciated and have heavy parasite counts, and, to our knowledge, other bird species have not been affected," said FWC researcher Dan Wolf in a press release.
Researchers are assessing the birds to figure out what is going on. They sent samples to the National Wildlife Health Center for testing but have not yet heard back.
Additional testing will tell researchers whether botulism is the cause. According to officials, botulism is sometimes the cause of die-offs like this.
But botulism usually kills birds too quickly for them to become emaciated.
People should report any dead or sick pelicans online at MyFWC.com/Bird or by calling the FWC's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.
