A distressed juvenile kelp gull was recently helped by caring Mpenjati Honorary Officers on the estuary beach in the Trafalgar Marine Reserve.

The bird had a fishhook and line caught in its mouth. Trailing from the line was another hook embedded in a large stick, leaving the gull unable to fly and forced to walk while dragging the stick behind it.

Thanks to two quick-thinking guests from Kingfisher Lakeside Retreat, who raised the initial alert, officers were able to mobilise quickly and reach the site without delay.

Anna Jordan of the Mpenjati Conservancy said it was due to Lynne Crocker’s experience that they were able to safely secure the gull and remove the line and stick.

Lynne is a representative of the Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife and also serves as the Mpenjati Honorary Officers group secretary.

“The hook will be attended to by a vet and an assessment will be done. There were sightings of the gull on the southern end of the reserve last week. Hopefully, with some feeding and rest, this young gull will fully recover,” said Jordan.

Residents and visitors are urged to remove discarded fishing line and hooks from beaches and rocks, whether fishing or simply walking in the area.

For safe disposal at home, cut fishing line into pieces shorter than 10 to 20cm to help prevent wildlife entanglement in landfills.

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