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Post by Geoff on Jan 15, 2007 10:33:12 GMT
My neighbours and I have spent the last couple of days trying to catch a young magpie that's been flying around with a big ball of nesting material attached to its leg. We finally caught it tonight by cutting the branch that it was entangled in. Its leg was almost severed by the fishing line wound around it and it was in such a bad state that we decided to let the vet euthanase it. I've no idea how the parents found fishing line to use in their nest but they did, and their baby died as a result. So it's not just marine animals that suffer from fishing. We're also wondering how the parents will react. We caught the baby after dark so hopefully they didn't see. (Australian magpies are renowned for attacking people they think may be after their babies.) It's going to be so distressing tomorrow, watching the parents look for their baby. This is the mother:
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Post by maisiepaisie on Jan 15, 2007 11:37:10 GMT
Aww thats such a shame, poor baby. I fkn hate fisherman. They don't even see themselves as hunters yet their stupid pastime harms a lot more than fish Thats a lovely picture of mum Geoff. She looks really tame.
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Post by Geoff on Jan 15, 2007 20:47:37 GMT
Not 'tame' but reasonably friendly, although very wary! She came to the window for a feed just now and didn't seem stressed at all. The test will be when I go to retrieve my step ladder from under the tree where we 'stole' their baby. Will Dad attack me? I think I'll wear a hard hat, just in case!
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Post by Tiggerwoos on Jan 15, 2007 21:00:30 GMT
Poor little mite. It really sickens me to to see how fishing tackle can do so much damage to local wildlife. Well done for all your work though.
I know what magpies are like when it comes to their fledglings. A few years back, Tigger bought a live fledgling into our house, unharmed and let it go to squark and try and catch the thing.
Anyway, by the time we released it outside, its family were divebombing us for days afterwards!
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