BIRD ENTANGLED BY A SOCK SAVED IN NICK OF TIME
A GOLD Coast wildlife rescuer says a genetic evolution in a species of bird is pushing it to extinction as it battles pollution in the environment.
Rowley Goonan from Wild Bird Rescues was called to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary last week after staff spotted an Australasian darter with a sock caught on its beak.
Mr Goonan said darters were more vulnerable than most birds to entanglement as their beaks are serrated.
“Half of the bill, the end half, there’s all fine serrations,” Mr Goonan said.
“They’re super vulnerable to anything in the water, particularly stockings, any form of rag, any form of material. Orange plastic bags you buy oranges in.
“Once they get that on, they have no hope in getting it off unless they’re caught.
“We’re going to lose all of them in the end.”
Mr Goonan said he was heartbroken after his first attempt to catch the bird was unsuccessful.
“I managed to net him, but he slipped out of the bottom of the net to the lake,” he said.
“I’d been very worried for two days (after that). I thought he’d drowned.
“You always second guess yourself in hindsight for what you could have done.
“Then 48 hours later, Chris called from the Sanctuary. The darter was back in the same tree.”
Mr Goonan managed to catch the darter the second time, removed the sock, “force fed” it some fish and set it on its way again.
He said the bird would have faced a slow, agonising death had it not been caught.