WATCH: Injured great blue heron rescued in Orange Beach
Mobile's Catholic community mourns Pope Francis' death
Crews with Orange Beach Coastal Resources received multiple calls of a great blue heron near Romar Beach in distress.
After a little over a week of searching, they captured the bird near a private beach access, where they found it wrapped in fishing line with a hook stuck in its beak.
'It's very common especially due to fishing line entanglements or hooks,' Orange Beach Coastal Resources Coastal Programs Coordinator Melissa Vinson said. 'We get a lot of pelicans, a lot of herons, sea turtles, even happens to dolphins.'
After removing the hook and a thorough exam in the field, the team decided this bird was ready to be released back to the wild where it belongs. However, some animals don't end up as lucky as this one.
'That is oftentimes, unfortunately not the case. Oftentimes, they get so entangled that they break a wing, or they get entangled in a tree, and they're hanging upside down,' Vinson said. 'We do our best to get to them and try to help the animal, but sometimes the injuries are just too extensive for us to help.'
Orange Beach Coastal Resources officials said they see dozens of injuries like this every year.
While this great blue heron might have had a happy ending, staff said it can serve as a reminder that we all have a role to play in keeping wildlife safe.
'You might see this animal begging and asking for food, or you might have a small bait fish that you want to just go ahead and toss to them, but you're actually doing more harm than good,' Vinson said. 'We want wildlife to stay wild, and they lose that wild aspect when you start to feed them.'
Stock the Pantry: Godfather's Pizza
Conservationists urge everyone to also properly dispose of fishing line, hooks and any other trash that could potentially harm an animal. And most importantly, if you see wildlife in distress, make sure to call the people who are trained to help.
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