INEXORABLE: SHOT!

AUSTRALIAN SEABIRD RESCUE South Coast team member, Lisa, was asked to look out for a pelican (about an hour south of Wollongong) which had a lot of fishing line around his legs and was having trouble walking.

Whilst looking for this bird she spotted a female pelican with holes on both sides of her pouch and a nasty wound to her head.

Having already met Lisa half way to collect a big male with a swollen leg that she and ASR Clare had caught and were bringing back to Wollongong, we decided if she caught the female with the holes we would ask our good mate Judy at Pyree who is with Wildlife Rescue South Coast to babysit her overnight.

Well, Lisa, caught the bird and Judy ‘baby sat’ her and kindly transported her half way to Wollongong for team member, Julie, to go down and collect her next morning.

Great team work all round and thank you everyone.

The bird has now had an operation to repair the damage, but, WHY!   The injuries were confirmed by the vet to be a BULLET!  What sort of satisfaction could this lowest form of humanity get out of shooting a harmless, defenceless creature.  She will recover but it should never have happened and one shudders at the cruelty of this warped mind for cheap thrills.

Pelican with bullet holes in pouch

By the way, Lisa, went back and caught the original bird – fixed him up and released him.  Well done, Lisa, three birds in one morning.

Thank you again, Judy (Wildlife Rescue) for housing the bird overnight and to Julie (ASR and Wildlife Rescue) for collecting her.  She is now in care for 10 days with stitches that need to heal.

Once again, if anyone sees or hears of cruelty against our wildlife both aquatic and terrestrial, please contact the Police and Australian Seabird Rescue or Wildlife Rescue who will rescue the animal – even if you think it is a false alarm.

We would rather go to ten false alarms than one dead creature.

Betty

Friday 11pm - Pied Oystercatcher

This very handsome, very young Pied Oystercatcher found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Considered vulnerable it was important to do whatever for him.

Young Pied Oystercatcher found in a shipping container at Port Botany

He was taken to the Exotic Animal Hospital in Sydney by a worker at the Port Botany (Botany Bay) shipping container terminal after being found in one of the containers. The Animal Hospital rang me and asked if I could take the bird but they had to come after duties hence the 11pm arrival time in Wollongong.

Tucked in safe for the night I took him early next morning to my mates Lindsay and Janice of SOSSA (Southern Ocean Seabird Study Ass) for advice on the best care for him.

Lindsay, with his over 40 years experience explained the poor thing had been “kidnapped”. Apparently the parents would have warned him of on incoming danger and to hide and they would come back for him, so he’s run into the container. Not yet fledged it was decided to take him back to Port Botany and let the parents find him.

BUT a dilemma!!!! The terminal doesn’t work weekends and despite a lot of phone calls we couldn’t get access to where he came from.  It was decided he had to go to Taronga Zoo Hospital to be cared for until fledged as after two and a half days the parents would have stopped looking for him. These birds are very territorial and the local birds would probably kill him so release in Wollongong was out of the question.

After a weekend in care dining on mussels, fish, octopus and my toes he was off to the Zoo in Sydney on Monday with a big thank you to Lindsay for transporting him as I was unable to go and no A.S.R. Volunteer was available.

With all the best facilities at the zoo he will be taught to forage for food himself and released where he came from in about 3 weeks when he can fly.

Thank you S.O.S.S.A., Taronga Zoo Hospital and Homebush Exotic Animal Hospital.

Betty

ENDANGERED

This very handsome young Westland Petrel was found lying on the sand of a Wollongong Beach by a passer-by who fortunately rang Seabird Rescue.  These birds only breed in the Paparoa Ranges on the top of bluffs which are densely forested on the South Island of New Zealand mostly migrate to Chile before returning.

Western Petrel found on Wollongong Beach

So immediately off to our friends Janice & Lindsay of SOSSA (Southern Oceans Seabird Study Assoc.) to be assessed at just over half her weight should be she was hydrated with critical care fluid straight away and due to the late hour, Lindsay kept her to be fed during the night (Thank you Lindsay)

Into rehab the next day she appeared to be doing okay, but on day 5 despite gaining weight she started to look not so happy.

Lindsay consulted with Taronga Zoo Hospital and it was decided she would fair better up there with best facilities where she could swim etc.

Not being able to get a Seabird Rescue volunteer to take her to Sydney / Mosman, (almost two hours away) it fell back on Janice & Lindsay to transport her to the Zoo, for which a great big thank you goes to them as I couldn’t go with other birds in care needing 3 hourly attention.

But the lesson here is the IMPORTANCE of notifying someone of any seabirds found dead or alive.  It really is imperative to identify them and if alive to go to the best possible care.

Thank you again, Janice & Lindsay of SOSSA and Taronga Zoo Hospital for taking over her care and hopefully release in a couple of weeks.

Betty 

Fate of a Fiesty Duck

Last weekend a resident of Sanctuary Point noticed a Chestnut Teal duck in her garden that was trailing a length of fishing line. She called Australian Seabird Rescue and Shari & Shawn from Sanctuary Point successfully caught him. The local vets xrayed him, which showed that the position of a fishing hook attached to the line was very low in his gut and chances of his survival were slim. Shari and Shawn were coming to Wollongong to release a young penguin rehabed from its exhausting adventure, getting lost on uncertain currents in Lake Illawarra and now ready to go back home there, so they called Betty, Wollongong's ASR wildlife carer. She suggested bringing the duck to her and she would get another opinion from the vets at Cannon and Ball in the Gong who specialise in birds. Very quickly he proved a lively little bloke this duck, fiesty in fact and a bit of a Houdini......

Vet Kim of Canon and Ball could see from the xrays his chances could go either way, she explained later that the hook was embedded very close to his 'gizzard' and damage to it during surgery would be fatal. He escaped during this first consult and was not easy to catch even in small confines of the consulting rooms, "He's pretty fit" thought Kim, "worth a try!"

Xray of Fiesty Duck showing location of hook

He came through surgery very well and his rehab with Betty is promising, (he needed post op care, antibiotics and time for his wound to close). He has a check up with vet Kim tomorrow, if all is as good as it looks then he will be released this weekend at Sanctury Point, just over a week from his first capture.

Hook and line surgically removed from Fiesty Duck.

Fiesty Duck in his rehabilitation accommodation.

This looks like a pretty good outcome for the fiesty duck but there is a big moral in his story. Water birds and animals suffer dreadful, painful injuries and death from fishing line and fishing hooks, so please pass on this message to everyone you know who goes fishing:

DON'T leave fishing line and fishing hooks unattended in the environment

DO check that you have not inadvertently dropped any of your line or hooks

And if you hook a bird:-           

DON'T cut the line, gently reel in the bird until you can hold it securely with its wings folded to its body. Seek help from your nearest vet or ring ASR 0431 282 238.

A bird entanged with fishing line means it can be in a lot of pain and most often will suffer a painful, slow death.

Annie

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

Avoidable

Yet again another sad story that could have been so easily avoided.  This poor little guy was spotted at Kiama harbour south of Wollongong.  He has obviously been dangled in discarded line as it was the ‘new’ braided type which won’t break.  In his effort for freedom his right foot had almost been severed and the left foot the line had become so tight it cut off the circulation and caused gangrene.  The only outcome possible – euthanasia!  It is so easy not to litter yet we are still facing these problems.  Obviously you care or you wouldn’t be reading these stories, so please if you see litter, especially plastic and fishing line, pick it up and put it in the bin.  Every little bit helps.  Thank you.

Betty

Seagull with fishing line tangled around legs causing severe damage.

Barely born

A very sad afternoon - we don't like to tell sad stories but this has to be brought to everyone's attention.

In the Wollongong Council area there are a number of long open beaches where dogs can run free off leash. But some people believe they are a  law unto themselves and just don't care!

This poor little baby on his first flight has been mauled by one or two dogs with multiple puncture wounds and the bone in his right leg crushed. He was on a dog free beach - 10 minutes up the road is a beach a couple of miles long where dogs are allowed.

I have spoken to people in the past about their dogs on this particular beach but what's the good of making these laws if no-one polices them. I do own a dog myself. The horrific part of this story is that the poor bird was left bleeding on the beach to die. He was absolutely terrified and was taken to the vet where sadly he was euthanized.

The onus is on all of us to take care and be responsible.

Betty.

Horrific injuries on a pelican mauled by a dog.

LUCKY CHRISTMAS DAY

It certainly turned out that way for this rare beauty. A Westland Petrel, she was found on a beach at Wollongong and picked up by team member, Jess.

Off to our mate Lindsay of S.O.S.S.A for correct identification-she was very rare but also very underweight.   So Lindsay took over her care and thanks to his dedication (and 2am feeds!) she is now in the hands of Taronga Zoo Hospital. Lindsay got her strong enough and a check by Vet Mike Cannon, was conducted before the long trip was made to the Zoo.

Discovered in the late 1940’s there are only 3300 known pairs in the world. Westland Petrels are from the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand and spend their time travelling between there and South America. What was she doing here?   Who knows, maybe she was following Santa’s Sleigh!

Last word from the hospital is that she is doing really well, so once again, a big thank you to Lindsay for his dedication and knowledge. Lindsay also banded her, making her only the second Westland Petrel ever banded in Australia. 

Thanks also to Vet Amy at the Zoo Hospital who is also looking after a hawksbill turtle, transported there by S.O.S.S.A. The turtle was injured but with TLC will be released.

Betty

A Westland Petrel found a long way from home on a Wollongong beach