At Essendon Veterinary Clinic we do more than see your beloved pets, we also have the wonderful job of looking after our local injured wildlife - the aim being to release them back to their homes. Due to our location we mainly see possums and birds, often looking after the water birds from Queens Park. Recently we had a poor little seagull, who we named Sam, brought in by the park's gardeners. Sam was all caught up with a long strand of fishing line. It was very tightly wrapped around his beak, wings and legs, and had prevented him from eating, drinking, flying and walking. At first glance we could not tell if he had swallowed any line (and potentially the hook too).

Sitting on a park bench by your favourite lake, river or water body and watching local wildlife busy at work and play is a relaxing pasttime for most. At the same time tossing a few slices of stale bread to seemingly hungry creatures adds a new sense of reward to your day. Whilst many people find it irresistible to feed wild fauna the damage can be irriversible for both the environment and the generations of fauna ahead. This article talks about the long term effects of feeding birds with human foods such as bread and mince.

Occasionally pet owners are faced with a situation where they may need to perform a wildlife bird rescue. Here's some handy tips in case you are ever put in this situation...