RSPCA issues litter warning after seagull gets tangled in fishing wire on TV aerial

Firefighters spent three hours rescuing a seagull when it became tangled in a TV aerial.

The bird was spotted in a distressed state above a house in Colchester on Wednesday, after fishing wire around its legs had caused it to get stuck.

Firefighters from Colchester station were called to the scene at 11.30am and used an aerial platform ladder to approach the seagull.

Sadly, despite the juvenile herring gull eventually being freed it later died from its injuries, having sustained a broken leg.

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The RSPCA has hit out at the person who left the fishing wire which the bird became tangled in.

A spokesperson for the animal charity said: "It's really sad that this poor gull couldn't be saved despite best efforts.

"Unfortunately it's not uncommon for the RSPCA to be called about wild animals and birds that have been injured by discarded fishing wire.

"Thankfully, many can be saved but they may require a lot of care, treatment and rehabilitation.

"Others aren’t so lucky and sometimes their injuries are just too severe for them to survive.

“It’s tragic for animal lovers like us to see the effects of discarded litter like this, especially when there is such a simple solution: clear up your litter and take it home with you."

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It comes after the RSPCA revealed 59 of the strangest animal rescues of 2022 - including a boa constrictor spotted at a McDonald’s in Bognor Regis and a seal which got stuck on a 50ft cliff in Weybourne, Norfolk.

RSPCA rescuer Amy Pellegrini added: “He (seal) must have just taken a wrong turn and then followed the coastal path before ending up on the cliff edge.”

Throughout the year, the RSPCA has received nearly 300,000 reports of trapped animals - one of the charity's busiest ever years.