Keelung officials were last week unable to find a greater crested tern that has a drink lid around its neck, the city said on Monday after it dispatched personnel to free the bird identified by a member of the public.
While visiting the Jhengbin Fishing Port (正濱漁港), a foraging ground for greater crested terns, a birdwatcher on Friday took a photograph of a bird with a plastic drink lid around its neck and posted the image online.
Tainan Ecological Conservation Society vice president Huang Shu-ting (黃蜀婷) said the report came shortly after a similar case involving a plastic container at Yilan County’s Dasi Fishing Harbor (大溪漁港).
Photo courtesy of Huang Shu-ting
The Keelung Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office later that day sent personnel to free the bird, but were unable to find it, office director Chen Jui-pin (陳瑞濱) said.
Migratory birds “sing a dirge” every year when stopping by the nation’s harbors rife with dangerous plastic waste, Huang said.
The greater crested tern is classified as a “rare and valuable species” and protected by the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法), Huang said.
The migratory birds, which visit Taiwan in the summer, have a black crest and long yellow beak, Huang said, adding that they are often found near the shore, where they dive to catch fish near the surface.
Now is prime hunting season for the birds, explaining the repeated encounters with plastic refuse, she added.
Huang urged the public to use less disposable plastic and dispose of garbage properly, otherwise they could threaten the lives of wild animals.
People who encounter an ensnared bird should cover it with a sheet or other fabric before attempting to free it, or call 1999 for assistance, Chen said.
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