A concerted team effort saved a juvenile Cape Gannet bird from drowning off Salt Rock beach on Friday, 12 July. The distressed bird was found in the surf entangled in fishing wire with a large hook embedded in its gullet.
According to Di Jones from the Dolphin Coast Conservancy the bird was found by a member of the public who called out the Simbithi Eco Estate environmental team to rescue the injured bird after noticing it was experiencing difficulty swimming and was not able to fly. With the assistance of the Salt Rock lifesaving team the bird was captured and transported to the Ballito Vet Hospital where the hook was removed and the exhausted bird was fed.
The injured Cape Gannet with a large hook embedded in its gullet.
However despite the bird stabilising overnight it was not self-feeding and was collected by the Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI) and taken to their facility at Ushaka Marine World for further care.
“These birds are quite common in this area at the moment because they are following the pockets of fish and sardines coming through.
“The exhausted animal had been in the water for too long and as a result had lost a lot of the oil on its feathers which would usually keep it afloat,” said Jones.
The Cape gannet is a Threatened Or Protected Species (TOPS) marine bird, and has recently been up-listed to endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) database.
Fisherman are asked not to discard their fishing tackle on the beach as the sea birds and other ocean life end up suffering.
The public can assist by reporting any oiled or injured seabirds to the Dolphin Coast Conservancy on 083 612 0859 or to Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife that runs a Strandings Network and is locally represented by volunteer Quentin Power on 082 789 3332. All marine animals, including birds which are found dead or injured must be reported for the purpose of data recording.
