Early colonisers predicted the end of the Australian pelican
In 1802, after exploring the islands of South Australia, famous British navigator Matthew Flinders wrote, ‘For the pelicans! Their golden age is past.’
Large animals like the pelican often don’t fare well under colonisation as they haven’t evolved to see humans as threats and are easy targets for hunting.
Even though their numbers would have certainly declined since colonisation, pelicans are still persisting in large numbers across the Australian coastline.