The folks at the International Bird Rescue (IBR) have seen their share of tackle and fishing line injuries at their San Pedro center – but this week, rescuers were stunned by the damage of a multi-hooked fishing lure that gruesomely impaled both elegant tern mother and chick together.
The good news is that the IBR team was able to separate the two seabirds – under anesthesia of course – and both are receiving expert ICU treatment. At this point in time, their progress is guarded. More to come on this story as it develops, as they say.
Elegant terns (what a great name, eh?) plunge dive for their meals; it’s hard to imagine how this lure snagged both mom and babe — but we suspect that catching food was part of it. Terns are common patients for bird rescuers and many of their injuries come from humans. Last fall, the San Francisco Bay International Bird Rescue Center cared for an elegant tern with a gunshot injury, even though terns are protected under federal law.
Elegant terns at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach
