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Whether a fun-filled outing with the family or friends, at the beach,
nearby park, or on your favorite hiking trail, please be considerate and
caring of what you leave behind or simply toss to one side. There are
hazards that humans leave behind from the "fun-filled" adventures that can
become a nightmare and, possibly a terrible death for unknowing animals.
Such items are 6-pack plastic bands. Animals get them caught around their
necks and their legs, so please make sure that you cut the rings into
pieces before
throwing them away. Other items are: pop-top cans, more and more animals
come to us with cans on their arms and on their heads, so please crush
these
items before you throw them away, styrofoam, fishing hooks, monofilament
line, and the list goes on.
Recent wildlife calls for, injuries due to monofilament, included a
Laughing Gull with 15 feet of fishing line wrapped around him. Thanks to
some of our local vets, he was unwrapped and after a few days of rest, was
released. Not so lucky was a Brown Pelican that after having been caught
up
in monofilament. He may not regain use of one wing, and may need to be
euthanized. As in the past, we have dealt with many animals who have not
survived their involvement with monofilament or lost an arm because they
had
a can on it for so long there was no way to save it.
We have received calls about a Comorant entangled in fishing line,
dangling 50 feet up in a tree; a Great Horned Owl, entangled in fishing
line
flew into a fence and was trapped and not found until the damage had been
done; an Anhinga, who swallowed a fishing hook and line. He too became
trapped in a tree, where he hung until rescue could find him, but again it
was too late, or this Herring Gull, with a hook in his wing and stomach.
The
dangers of monofilament for birds are overwhelming, so please do not leave
fishing line behind, or fishing equipment unattended.
Cans, bottles, newspapers, etc. can be RECYCLED and so can
monofilament! You can check with your local Bait & Tackle Shops to see if
they are RECYCLING PARTICIPANTS.
We are dedicating this section of information to all of the animals
that have been seriously injured or lost their lives to these items that
can
be RECYCLED.
Thank you for your help and support in protecting our Native Florida
Wildlife.
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| Herring Gull with monofilament wrapped around
his right leg. If you look carefully you can see the
monofilament. There is also a hook in his leg. On his beak is a
feeding tube. |
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| Although these Sea Turtles are fine, we want you
to be aware of the danger of plastic bags and monofilament and
hooks. Sea turtles, especially the babies, think they are jelly
fish and they try to eat the plastic bags. The plastic bag
either gets caught in their throats or blocks their intestines.
Same goes for monofilament. The sea turtle thinks it is food or
they get tangled up in it. |
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| This is an example of what can happen to a helpless
animal when they come in contact with a plastic six-pack beer holder.
As the Opossum's body grew, the plastic became imbedded in his body.
Please, before you throw away plastic six-pack beer holders, cut it in
pieces so you won't be responsible for something like this. |
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