Shocking find inside bird highlights worrying beach trend
"It's utterly heartbreaking. Something has to be done about it."
Those are the words of wildlife rescuer Anna MacIntosh, a Sydney resident who quite literally chased a native bird over four weeks after WIRES received more than a dozen calls about it. The cormorant was spotted around Balmoral Beach with thick, heavy fishing hooks stuck inside its body, and despite its condition, the bird was still able to swim and fly — wary of those trying to help it.
However, Anna didn't give up. Armed with a seven-metre-long net and her husband Pete, the pair attempted yet again to capture the injured bird last week.
"The last person to report it was from the Balmoral Boat Shed, and they do boat hire, so this lovely girl that works there took us out on her tender," Anna told Yahoo News. "We basically chased the cormorant around and around... we tired it out... I was hanging over the side of the boat, trying to scoop him up in my net."
Finally, the bird was captured and Anna and Peter were able to remove some of the hooks. However, others were too deeply lodged in the bird's body. The rescuers rushed it to Taronga Wildlife Hospital, where staff confirmed it had wounds from a total of eight hooks, including one stuck inside the cormorant's stomach.
The bird had to be euthanised.
"Sadly, due to the extensive internal injuries caused by the fishing hooks and line, the animal was humanely euthanised," a Taronga Wildlife Hospital spokesperson confirmed to Yahoo.
Yahoo News has reported on countless incidents of wildlife being caught up in fishing lines and hooks, including a corella left hanging upside down for days from a tree, a baby dolphin tangled in multiple strands of fishing line, and the turtle who was left fighting for its life after ingesting a fishing hook.
Wildlife rescuers continue to be inundated with incidents involving fishing equipment, and many have told Yahoo just how dangerous it is.
"Fishing line entanglement is massive in the oceans and rivers... A lot of wildlife drown from fishing lines and hooks because it gets caught up and they can't get out of the water," rescuer William Watson said previously after wading in a neck-high river to rescue a tangled ibis.
🎣 Fisherman captures spectacular frenzy off quiet Aussie beach
🦅 'Thoughtless' act at tourist hotspot called out by furious locals
😔 Tragic scene on Aussie roadside prompts urgent plea
This sentiment was echoed by Anna. She explained to Yahoo that birds are often opportunistic along Balmoral Beach and will snatch fish off fishermen's lines in a bid to score a meal, but all too often she also finds lines and hooks floating along the shoreline.
"The message is safe fishing, and contact WIRES if you notice any wildlife compromised," she said.
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