The Southern California nonprofit holds training for a La Jolla-based initiative to search for, guard and transport injured or ill seabirds. 

With a multifaceted approach to conservation, a Southern California nonprofit is spreading its wings to help injured and sick marine wildlife in La Jolla.

Azi Sharif, a resident of Solana Beach and Newport Beach, started Wildlife Jewels in 2023 to inspire and empower local community members to protect wildlife through collaboration and education, blending art with science for awareness and action.

The Wildlife Jewels Rescue Crew is a recently-launched initiative of the nonprofit established and piloted in La Jolla to respond to “terrifying events” like domoic acid poisoning of sea life and harmful algae blooms, Sharif said.

The nonprofit monitoring finds at least one seabird or marine mammal in La Jolla every day that needs help, she said, necessitating the formation of the Rescue Crew, a team of volunteers who search for, guard and transport seabirds in need.

The team does not provide medical care or rehabilitation, turning the animals over to licensed wildlife rehabilitation centers like Project Wildlife and SeaWorld San Diego.

The Rescue Crew is also taught to record, report and watch over injured marine mammals, as “every second matters [for] survival,” Sharif said. But as marine mammals are protected by law, volunteers may not touch them; they may only call a rehabilitation center for help.

Sharif and retired wildlife biologist Joop Kuhn led the fourth Rescue Crew volunteer training March 19 at Kellogg Park to demonstrate proper seabird monitoring and rescue techniques.

Observation is a crucial first step in animal rescue, Kuhn said. “There’s a lot of dynamics going on.”

Often, a bird in a seemingly dire situation just needs a few moments of rest or a redirection back to its parents, he said, instead of a more intense intervention.

Other times, a bird is weak, emaciated from undernourishment or diseased.

“Not every animal is going to be pretty and clean and easy to get,” Kuhn said. “It’s going to be a challenge.”

When approaching a bird for handling, hide nets and other equipment off to the side, Kuhn said, demonstrating proper use of the equipment Wildlife Jewels hands out once volunteers are trained. 

Using a soccer ball as the “bird,” Kuhn showed attendees how to lay a net around the bird (after donning gloves), scoop the injured bird up and place it in a protective carrier for transport to a rehabilitation center. 

The most important part of a seabird’s body is its head, he emphasized.

“What you want to do is control the head,” watching the strong bill to avoid bites but not covering the air holes, which are on the base of the bill. 

Brandt’s cormorants, for example, have a very long neck and “are very fast and are very strong biters,” Kuhn said. “They will hurt you.”

The training covered birds common to La Jolla including cormorants, pelicans and seagulls, along with smaller birds like mourning doves and sparrows. 

The training will repeat every few weeks or so, to give those interested an opportunity to take action; Wildlife Jewels intends to get all trained volunteers a set of equipment to keep in case of rescue.

“We’re training and empowering the community and our neighborhood and residents in La Jolla to open up their eyes to see what to look for when an animal is injured,” Sharif said.