45 Pelicans Affected By BP Oil Spill Moving to Florida

MIAMI (AP) - Dozens more brown pelicans affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have been relocated to Florida. The 45 pelican chicks had been treated at the Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center in Buras, La. They were transferred this weekend to the Pelican Harbor Seabird Station in Miami.

The birds range in age from 5 weeks to 10 weeks old. Officials said Sunday that the pelicans will remain at the Miami center until they can fly and be released into the wild.

The BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig exploded April 20, killing 11 workers. Since then, federal officials estimate between 88 million and 174 million gallons of oil have spilled into the Gulf of Mexico.