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

Good Morning

Ah! What better way to spend the early morning than to go for a kayak ride with my friends from Australian Seabird Rescue. Here I am with my mate Leonie. 

Actually I was a very lucky girl as I was feeling quite sick that day and got picked up. After a week in intensive care I am happily back with my pelican mates. I was one of 14 sick birds last month but thanks to the care of nurse Betty only 3 very sick birds didn't make it. Goes to show if we are picked up in time we have approx a 95% success rate. So please keep an eye out for us.

Thank you

signed Bird Number 843

TOURIST TURTLES

Kate holding the second Green Turtle found off Wollongong within a month. This poor creature died due to plastic ingestion!

If only that were true - two sub adult green turtles within a month of each other! Both of the turtles should have been in North Queensland, not in the cold waters of Wollongong. So something was obviously very wrong.

The first turtle was found south off Wollongong with damage to his ‘shell’, possibly a boat strike. The second turtle found just to the north (spotted by a member of the public, Anthony and his children). The turtle was covered in seagrass and presenting as quite unwell, seen here with Australian Seabird Rescue team member Kate.

Being under license to National Parks, and required to contact them immediately regarding turtles, they were both transported to the ‘ magic’ team of vets at Taronga Zoo Hospital. After overnight care with Kay turtle 1 and Katie turtle 2, turtle number 1 will happily be released after repair work and R and R. Turtle number 2 unfortunately died at the zoo and an autopsy was carried out to find out why. Yep, you guessed it- a plastic shopping bag!

So this poor creature has drifted south on the current-  starving hungry - in pain with her intestines ‘Clagged’ up- unable to dive. In such a bad way she’s even been ignored by sharks.

Come on everyone- when are we going to wake up! Please if you see a discarded piece of plastic please pick it up and put it in a bin- if everyone did this it would make a big impact on what ends up in the ocean. Think twice about balloons also, especially helium-yeh they look good-yeh kids love them- but where do most end up? Yep- the ocean. ASR successfully lobbied the NSW Government to ban the mass release of balloons at Government and sporting events.

You see- floating in the water they look like jelly blubbers-the staple diet of many sea creatures and pelagic sea birds. We also just lost an endangered Northern Giant Petrel, most likely to plastic ingestion. 

Please- Stop- Think- Look- Act!!!

The ocean is part of our ‘life blood’. If we keep abusing it, the end result will be catastrophic to both human and creature existence. Even on pristine Lord Howe Island adult and baby birds that have died have had an unbelievable amount of plastic in their gut.

We do like to tell good stories- so if we all pull together it will make it a lot easier to do this.

Betty

Southie

This time of year our beautiful sea and shorebirds are susceptible to botulism. We have spoken of it before, but not to miss an opportunity we remind everyone to keep an eye out for unusual behaviour - usually along the shoreline. A prompt response saves lives as this crippling disease can kill a bird in 24 hours.

Sue, a ranger, had called Australian Seabird Rescue about a bird on a beach. After explaining botulism to her, she will now keep a look out whilst on her work duties. Unfortunately that pelican died despite our best effort.

But about a week later Sue was working at South beach Wollongong and noticed a pelican getting "barrelled" in the surf and rang us straight away. She got a lifesaver to go out and get the bird while awaiting our arrival. Quick thinking Sue - one lucky pelican!

The best part - after a week of intensive care the pelican has been happily released - is that a smile on her face in the picture?! With a flick of her tail feathers she was back in the wild with her fellow pelicans.

A big thank you to Sue for being on the ball and thanks also to South Wollongong Surf Club.

Betty

Oliver releasing a pelican who had recovered from botulism.

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