Black-crowned night-heron found tangled in fishing line
By Joanna Fitzgerald | Director of the von Arx Wildlife Hospital
A black-crowned night-heron was among the 55 animals admitted to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida this past week.
The black-crowned night-heron was found in Big Cypress National Preserve tangled in fishing line. The night-heron was alert and responsive, its right wing was swollen yet, overall, the bird was in fair condition.
The heron was given Chinese herbs and medication to address the trauma and swelling along the wing as well as subcutaneous electrolytes. The night-heron’s condition improved in terms of the wing injury which was encouraging.
One difficulty that is common with night-herons because they are very secretive, they often refuse to eat on their own which was the situation with this nigh-heron. Staff needed to hand feed the bird several times a day to ensure it maintained a healthy body weight.
After several days and test flights in our outdoor flight enclosures, the night-heron looked strong and was flying well and was cleared for release. Hospital staff returned the night-heron to the area it was found in Big Cypress.
Although it is unknown how the black-crowned night-heron became entangled in fishing line, it is disheartening to find an animal suffering from fishing line entanglement in such a wild, remote area like Big Cypress National Preserve.
If you participate in angling activities and you miscast, please retrieve any line that becomes entangled in nearby vegetation. Leaving line in the environment can be fatal if a bird becomes entangled.
If you accidentally snag a bird while fishing, do not cut the line. Reel the bird in carefully but quickly because a bird struggling against a taut line may cause the line to break and allow the bird to fly off with the line trailing behind. Once the bird is reeled in, cover its head with a towel to help keep the bird calm. If the hook is not deeply embedded, gently push the hook through until the barb is exposed. Clip the barb with a wire cutter and back the barbless hook out. Step away and allow the bird time to get its bearings and fly off.
If the hook is deeply embedded or if the hook has been ingested, contain the bird and bring it to the wildlife hospital for immediate medical attention.
People must be willing to change their behaviors and be more aware and responsible when fishing or these types of injuries will continue to occur.
Recent Releases
Two Eastern cottontails, a Virginia opossum, a raccoon, a least bittern, a red-shouldered hawk and a blue jay were released last week.
Opportunities to Help
Please visit the Conservancy website at www.conservancy.org to view all of the amazing volunteer opportunities at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Your volunteer time, donations, and memberships are vital in helping us continue our work to protect Southwest Florida’s water, land, wildlife and future.
Joanna Fitzgerald is director of the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Call 239–262–2273 or see conservancy.org
