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This was one lucky lady. This hideous hard plastic lure with a hook was embedded in the pelicans face 1mm away from her eye. First spotted she was bleeding but gave Australian Seabird Rescue team members the slip and hid somewhere for a couple of days. Unable to rest until she was caught - we did - and with no infection she was treated and released on site.

Hook and lure embedded near a pelican's eye. Fortunately it was able to be successfully removed.

Then....

A couple of days later a big male turned up with this float tangled in his foot with a 4oz sinker attached. He had no hope of flying and could only lift off the water and crash back down. He too was caught and released on site. Two good results - but both incidents due to careless fishing.

 

Hook and sinker tangled around a pelcians foot. Australian Seabird Rescue was able to catch the bird, remove this mess and sucessfully release the pelican.

Betty

Wollongong Harbour

A nasty incident was avoided today when Australian Seabird Rescue Team member Betty caught a  beautiful  female pelican. With fishing line caught around her wing. As we carried her up the beach fishing line came trailing behind her - 60 meters of it!! Imagine if this had become tangled around power lines when she was in flight. She would have been left dangling and struggling from the lines.

How would we have rescued her? One can imagine several equally horrific scenarios. Happily she was released unharmed with a belly full of fish as compensation. Fishing folk take note: Discard Fishing Line Thoughtfully.

Gillian

Reality!

Well this is the reality of what fishing line can do!

This poor pelican has lost his life due to careless fishing practices - the foot has been taken over by gangrene and was attacking his muscles further up his leg also creating blood poisoning. Euthanasia the only answer!

Please if you do get tangled up with a bird - tell someone - anyone! There is a wide network of voluntary animal rescue groups out there so the word would very quickly get to the appropriate group who could then respond and help the poor thing. A little more caring from everyone would avoid this sort of thing. If he hadn't been caught this bird would have died a slow horrific death. 

Betty

Warning

Fishing line with attached sinker were tangled tightly around the wing of this pelican.

Fishing line protruding from the neck of this poor pelican.

This is exactly what we have been trying to get people to understand - the devastation careless fishing practices can and will cause.

A call came for help at 8.30 the other night from a concerned member of the public, Dane, who spotted this bird and managed to catch her and hold her until Australian Seabird Rescue team member Kate got there. The pelican was in an area known for foxes and dogs so she was fortunate Dane cared enough to call. 

Sadly for this pelican though the outcome was fatal. With fishing line around her wing and a large sinker attached, it had become so tight it had cut off the circulation, so this girl was dying a slow horrible death.

Into overnight care with Kate to make her as comfortable as possible. It was discovered in the daylight she also had a piece of fishing line protruding from her neck but no hook in sight - it had started to travel internally in her body dispelling another myth that hooks either rust away or fall out - this also would eventually killed her as it got further into her body.

Off to the vet that morning she was very sadly euthanized. A breeding female that has died unnecessarily - it just breaks my heart!

Please - once again - please be careful out there while you're enjoying the fishing. It's so easy to avoid a tragedy like this. The fisherperson has it seems just cut the line without thinking of the consequences.

Take care - thanks Kate for your devotion regardless of the late hour and your visitors.

Betty

Lucky girl

On my regular sunrise patrol at Berkeley, I noticed a female pelican with a length of line protruding from her beak - 105cm in fact. Fortunately I was able to catch her and a gave quick phone call to Australian Seabird Rescue team member Oliver who lives close by. He came straight down to the harbour and held the bird while I got my hand down into her stomach. It was lucky the hooks had not caught on her stomach wall.

The 2 hooks measured 3cm in length, each with a swivel attached!

Another example of careless fishing -  instead of calling someone for help the fisherman has just cut the line. This little girl would have perished if not spotted and caught with a successful release.

Thanks for your help Oliver.

Betty  

105cm fishing line plus hook found in female pelican at Berkeley