Young bird rescued in Hailsham after getting wrapped in fishing line

On October 7 a member of the public spotted the gull caught at the edge of the main island in the middle of Hailsham Common Pond.

East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS) attended with boats to paddle across to the island where they worked together to safely reach the gull and cut it free.

A spokesperson for WRAS said, “The fishing line was well wrapped round the bird which would not have been able to fly in that condition. Fishing is not allowed on the site, and the line may have even come in attached to another bird and fallen off.

“The gull couldn’t move out of the water or waddle away from the approaching rescuers as the line was also attached to mesh around the edge of the island.”

Mesh is often used around ponds to protect new plants when landscaping but frequently after the plants disappear it leaves cavities which wildlife can get caught in, causes injury and entanglements too, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said, “The gull was taken back to WRAS’s Casualty Centre where the care team removed the rest of the line which was wrapped round its wings, body and legs.”