Anonymous
Source: Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network
Patient #4679 of 2020: Black-bellied plover
Status: Still in Care
When a Ventura citizen approached this black-bellied plover at the Ventura fairgrounds, she was shocked to see that the plover had fishing line trailing out of its mouth. She quickly brought it to Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network for help. Once in care at SBWCN, the expert team examined the black-bellied plover. The bird appeared to be in good body condition, other than the fishing hook it had swallowed. The team secured what was left of the fishing line to the back of the bird’s head using silk tape.
This smart move allowed our veterinarian, Dr. Avery Berkowitz, to use the fishing line as a guide to attempt to remove the hook. During this tricky maneuver, the bottom half of the hook broke off from the top, which was attached to the line. Because the hook piece had moved to the plover’s stomach, Dr. Berkowitz decided to give the remaining hook a chance to dissolve in the stomach’s acids to avoid another invasive, stressful procedure.
The plover is recovering at the Wildlife Care Center, eating nutritious fish and exploring it’s spacious enclosure while staff frequently checks on the dissolution progress. It is a slow process, but the hook is dissolving in the strong acid content of the plover’s stomach.
Like this black-bellied plover, many birds come to the Wildlife Care Center having swallowed hooks or wrapped in fishing line. This situation is one that is easily preventable. Remember to pack up all of your gear when fishing or talk with a fisher in your life! By working together to educate one another on the dangers of fishing line and hooks to wildlife, we can all help save and serve wildlife.
Black-bellied plovers are rare patients at SBWCN. The center has only received two black-bellied plover patients in the last five years. Support the care of this black-bellied plover with a donation. www.sbwcn.org/donate
