Melbourne Zoo’s Marine Response Unit rescues Darter bird at Queens Park
After several weeks of monitoring and rescue attempts, a Darter bird entangled in a fishing line has been successfully treated and released back into the wild thanks to the efforts of Melbourne Zoo’s Marine Response Unit and Wildlife Victoria.
Discarded fishing gear continues to cause serious injuries, and often death, to native animals like birds in Queens Park. This is the first successful rescue and release without euthanasia in the park this year.
‘The vet team were able to carefully remove the netting that was tightly wrapped around its beak and provide supportive care for the bird.’ Mark Keenan, Strategic Project Coordinator from Melbourne Zoo said.
‘The bag had restricted the bird’s ability to forage for 18 days, but thankfully it was still in somewhat reasonable condition upon arrival. After two days in care the animal was deemed fit and healthy enough to be released back into the park.’
‘Anytime we have the opportunity to a release an animal back to the wild is always incredible, but this one was made more special given just how difficult it was to catch and the fact that it was a clearly a bird impacted by humans.’
Fishing is not permitted at this lake due to its high population of native wildlife and the risks from hooks, lines and other rubbish it creates.
‘Sadly, fishing materials are by far the most common entangling material. These materials are particularly destructive as they are made to be very strong and therefore tangle, encircle and cut many animals.’
The Darter bird before rescue at Queens Park
If you see marine wildlife that are injured, entangled or in distress please use the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate action tool to locate the closest contact.
If you come across discarded fishing gear or fishing waste, please dispose of responsibly in Seal the Loop Bins or regular waste bins.
We are lucky to have such diverse wildlife in Queens Park, and it is important to protect these animals for the future.