Grisly find hanging above Aussie lake prompts call for intervention
Walkers strolling along a popular track were delighted to spot a corella, quietly perched on a branch above a lake. A day later, they were surprised to see the native bird in the same place, so they took a closer look and discovered something horrible – it was strung up on the branch with fishing line.
While incidents like this are shocking to the public, they're an occurrence that wildlife rescuers see daily. Now, one Victorian-based animal rehabilitator is calling on the state government to help educate the next generation of anglers so they understand that when they cut snagged fishing line, there's a high chance it will entangle native birds and animals.
Back in 2022, the government announced it would spend $1.5 million over four years to buy thousands of fishing rods for the state's children. To stop them making the same mistakes as previous generations, Boobook Wildlife Shelter founder Nelini Scarfe is calling for a further $1.5 million to be spent on education.
'Fishing line is just a horror story for wildlife. It cuts into their legs and causes the most horrendous injuries. Sadly, nine times out of 10, when we have birds with fishing line entanglement, we have to euthanise them because it just does so much damage,' Scarfe told Yahoo News.
Related: Anglers urged to clean up their lines and lures after horror find
On average, Scarfe responds to one case of fishing line entanglement every week. But look on social media and you'll see other shelters around the country responding to the problem on a daily basis. Fishing lures and hooks attached to line are also a problem, as they're often swallowed by endangered sea turtles and pelicans.
The entangled corella was rescued on the weekend from above a lake at RMIT's Bundoora campus, 17km from Melbourne. The Metropolitan Fire Brigade assisted because rescuers were unable to reach it from a branch high above the lake.
Volunteer rescuer Susane Teese was the first to assess the bird, and its grisly, emaciated condition has led her to believe it had been entangled in the fishing line for a long time. Tragically, the bird did not survive.
'When the corella was handed to me it was struggling and trying to bite me, which was a good sign because it's normal behaviour. But I must say it couldn't bite very hard,' she told Yahoo.
'It went down quickly after that. I think it died from organ failure because the poor bird had been struggling for days.'
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Like Nelini, Susane frequently attends to wildlife entanglements. She's shared heartbreaking images of a tawny frogmouth that was discovered hanging from a tree branch by its wing.
"That one fortunately was called in quite quickly by a member of the public, we were able to get it down and it's actually been released," she said.
"The interesting thing about the tawny frogmouth case was that when I was sitting in the car about to leave, a woman came up to me and said another one had been caught in the same spot, 12 months previously. It was from the same piece of fishing line.
"It's a dreadful pollutant. It's just saw awful for wildlife."
When fishing rods were handed out to children through the Little Angler Kits program, educational information about fishing was also supplied. This included a flyer for Fishcare Victoria, a not-for-profit funded by the government that promotes responsible fishing and care for aquatic ecosystems.
The Victorian Fisheries Authority told Yahoo News feedback about the program has been positive, and that it works to ensure kids know how to dispose of fishing line responsibly.
'The Victorian Fisheries Authority provides information at fishing clinics, community events and through funding to organisations like Fishcare Victoria, to ensure young fishers are educated on how to do the right thing when disposing of fishing line,' a spokesperson said.
'We encourage all fishers to do the right thing and dispose of their line and any gear responsibly.'
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